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Palm oil is a vegetable oil derived from the fruit of African oil palm trees, which typically
thrive in tropical environments. Today, palm oil supplies more than 30% of global vegetable oil
production with approximately 50 million tons of palm oil produced annually (King 2016). In
developing countries, palm oil is primarily used for cooking. Conversely, palm oil is found in 40-
50% of processed foods and in a variety of household products in developed countries such as
the United States and Canada (King 2016). With increasing global demand for palm oil products,
large scale forest conversion is taking place throughout tropical rainforests in Asia, Latin
America, and West Africa in order to make room for palm oil plantations. Indonesia and
Malaysia alone are responsible for 90% of the worlds palm trees, with Indonesia crowned as the
leading global supplier (Block 2009). On one hand, palm oil has its benefits: oil palms are
surprisingly productive crops compared to other vegetable oil-producing crops because oil palms
offer higher yields at significantly lower costs. However, lack of regulation has allowed for a
mass conversion of forests that is having detrimental effects on environmental and human health.
Children are made to carry large loads of heavy fruit, weed fields and spend hours every day
bent over collecting fruit from the plantation floor [they] receive little or no pay ... With
plantations systematically destroying the rainforest land that the local people depend on,
communities are continuously finding themselves with no choice but to become plantation
workers indigenous communities become reliant on the palm oil industry for their income and
survival, leaving these villagers incredibly vulnerable to the world market price of palm oil which
they have no control over.
In addition to human rights violations, the palm oil industry creates an animal welfare
crisis. As briefly mentioned, the populations of currently endangered speciesthe Sumatran
orangutan, tiger, elephant, and rhinoare further threatened by land development for palm oil.
During deforestation, valuable habitat is lost and animals are injured, displaced, and killed. Like
the four million people dependent on Leusers resources, animals are also affected by diminished
air and water quality. Additionally, palm oil development puts animals in danger by increasing
the accessibility of animals to poachers and wildlife smugglers (King 2016). By applying
philosopher Mylan Engels theory of animal ethics, deforestation is morally wrong and may be
considered a form of animal abuse because it results in the harm and death of animals for no
good reason.
Indigenous people and animals are exploited for the sole purpose of bringing the
rainforest to the cupboards and dinner tables of global consumers. A majority of people in the
United States and Canada are completely unaware of the effects their consumerism has on the
environment and on people across the world. Consumers generally do not pay attention to the
ingredients of their products and what kind of global impacts are associated with the acquisition
and production of the ingredients. People around the world have no idea what industries they are
supporting through the purchase of certain products, such as ice cream, instant noodles,
shampoo, and detergent. Global consumers unknowingly contribute to the growing demand for
palm oil, and are thus indirectly supporting the environmental and human health impacts
associated with palm oil production.
References
Block, B. (April 2009). Can Sustainable Palm Oil Slow Deforestation? Worldwatch Institute.
Block, B. (April 2009). Global Palm Oil Demand Fueling Deforestation. Worldwatch Institute.
Block, B. (April 2009). Oil Palm Industry Takes Land, Promises Livelihood. World watch
Chow, L. (March 2016). Leonardo DiCaprio: We Must Save the Last Place on Earth Where
http://www.ecowatch.com/leonardo-dicaprio-we-must-save-the-last-place-on-earth-
where-orangutan-1882200037.html
Climate Action Tracker. (2016). Climate Action Tracker: Indonesia. Climate Action Tracker.
King, T. Oray, M. (2016). Palm Oil: Whats the Issue? Say No To Palm Oil. Retrieved from
http://www.saynotopalmoil.com/Whats_the_issue
REDD Desk. (2016). Leuser Ecosystem REDD Project. The REDD Desk. Retrieved from
http://theredddesk.org/countries/initiatives/leuser-ecosystem-redd-project
Rogers, C. (January 2016). Aceh citizens sue government to save Leuser Ecosystem.
World Wildlife Fund. (2016). Sustainable Agriculture: Palm Oil. World Wildlife Fund.