Production Environmental Impacts
The production of palm oil greatly effects the environment, including its marvelous wildlife. These effects of course, are hugely negative. It is not the palm oil that causes the problem; it is the oil palm tree plantations in which palm oil is produced from which causes the problem. These plantations are built right where virgin forests once existed. They were of course, deforested for these plantations. This is absurd because there is plenty of free land that is not of a forest biome in which oil palm trees can grow abundantly. Around the world, there is about 300-700 million hectares of free land that can sustain oil palm tree plantations. Moreover, 20 million of these 300-700 million hectares are located in Indonesia; the world’s largest producer of palm oil.
The deforestation of these forests results in a huge decline in certain animal and plant species populations. Many of which, are quite close to extinction as a result of this deforestation and non-viable poaching laws. In the tropical rainforests of Malaysia, Sumatra (an Indonesia island) and Borneo (a large island that is partly Indonesia, Malaysian and Bruneian), the major population declines of wildlife have been directed towards large mammals. These are the Malaysian and Sumatran tigers, Malaysian and Sumatran elephants, Sumatran rhinoceros, Malaysian and Sumatran orangutans, the tapir and the Malaysian sun bear. The elephants and orangutans are considered pests as they eat the oil palm tree fronds and seeds and are often killed by farmers. Fires that are used to clear the tropical rainforests for palm oil plantations are suggested to have killed thousands of orangutans as they could not escape the blazes. In addition, the destruction of these forests contributes to climate change as it can have an effect on the temperatures of earth which can potentially greatly change the climates. This occurs because with fewer trees, there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and less oxygen as there are fewer trees to consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Carbon dioxide is a good thing, but too much of it will cause the planet to overheat.
The huge environmental impacts of the production of palm oil are clearly displayed in the three figures found below. Figure 6. Tropical Rainforest Decrease in Borneo shows the destruction of the tropical forest biome on the island of Borneo between the years of 1950 and 2010. Furthermore, there is an estimation as to the expanse of the forest declination by the year 2020. It is very obvious that there will soon be no tropical rainforest on this island at by about 2030. Figure 8. Tropical Rainforest Decrease Due To Oil Palm Tree Plantations in Raui Province, Indonesia shows that in this particular area, between the years of 1989 and 2005, the tropical rainforest has almost been completely replaced by oil palm tree plantations. Figure 9. Indonesian Forest Area 1990 -2010 shows that the amount of forest area in Indonesia has only declined since this began being measured. It also shows that the forest area in Indonesia has declined by about 25 million hectares in the corresponding twenty years.
The deforestation of these forests results in a huge decline in certain animal and plant species populations. Many of which, are quite close to extinction as a result of this deforestation and non-viable poaching laws. In the tropical rainforests of Malaysia, Sumatra (an Indonesia island) and Borneo (a large island that is partly Indonesia, Malaysian and Bruneian), the major population declines of wildlife have been directed towards large mammals. These are the Malaysian and Sumatran tigers, Malaysian and Sumatran elephants, Sumatran rhinoceros, Malaysian and Sumatran orangutans, the tapir and the Malaysian sun bear. The elephants and orangutans are considered pests as they eat the oil palm tree fronds and seeds and are often killed by farmers. Fires that are used to clear the tropical rainforests for palm oil plantations are suggested to have killed thousands of orangutans as they could not escape the blazes. In addition, the destruction of these forests contributes to climate change as it can have an effect on the temperatures of earth which can potentially greatly change the climates. This occurs because with fewer trees, there is more carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and less oxygen as there are fewer trees to consume carbon dioxide and produce oxygen. Carbon dioxide is a good thing, but too much of it will cause the planet to overheat.
The huge environmental impacts of the production of palm oil are clearly displayed in the three figures found below. Figure 6. Tropical Rainforest Decrease in Borneo shows the destruction of the tropical forest biome on the island of Borneo between the years of 1950 and 2010. Furthermore, there is an estimation as to the expanse of the forest declination by the year 2020. It is very obvious that there will soon be no tropical rainforest on this island at by about 2030. Figure 8. Tropical Rainforest Decrease Due To Oil Palm Tree Plantations in Raui Province, Indonesia shows that in this particular area, between the years of 1989 and 2005, the tropical rainforest has almost been completely replaced by oil palm tree plantations. Figure 9. Indonesian Forest Area 1990 -2010 shows that the amount of forest area in Indonesia has only declined since this began being measured. It also shows that the forest area in Indonesia has declined by about 25 million hectares in the corresponding twenty years.