Soil erosion and poor soil quality have also caused damage, affecting the livelihoods of local villagers living close to these palm oil plantations. A deceptive image: at first sight, palm oil plantations look green and lush. Palm trees can proliferate on any type of soil, and the palm oil fruit is harvested all year round, giving the highest yield per acre, for example, palm fruit produces eight times more oil than soybeans. The palm oil can be sourced from squeezing the fleshy fruit or crushing the stone in the middle of the fruit. The blind ape opening eyes to the palm oil plantations destroying habitats, Bank of England could swap animal fat for rainforest-killing palm oil. It has an ideal melting point to be used in cosmetics such as lipsticks and create foam in shampoo. Which Everyday Products Contain Palm Oil? Increased carbon emissions are a recipe for global warming and climate change. Because in these man-made monocultures, local wildlife can't survive and the palm trees' roots soak up huge amounts of water, destroying the soil. Such pollution can occur during the clearing of the land for the establishment of the farm, when agrochemicals are released through leaching and runoff, or due to the discharge from the palm oil mills. Cutting down forests puts many animals at risk of poaching. Environmental charities have for a long time led the charge against its use. There is also the need to create alternative income solutions to palm oil that humans do not damage the forests. The destruction of rainforests contributes to rising greenhouse gas emissions, and therefore climate change. As a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels, it is used to power cars in the form of biofuel and also known for producing heat and power. They directly threaten 193 of the world's critically endangered, endangered and vulnerable animal species, including the sumatran and the bornean orangutan (source: International Union for Conservation of Nature). Accordingly, the declining yields may push farmers to use expensive fertilizers, which further reduce profitability. Sorry, there was a problem with your subscription. In Malaysia, for example, the deforestation rate is equivalent to 30 football fields disappearing every minute of every day in 2018, or a total of 120,000 square kilometers, with the Sarawak area experiencing the highest rate of deforestation of about 8-percent. As there is a limited supply of nutrients to meet the requirement of trees, fertilizers and pesticides are used in large amounts to ensure rapid growth and the health of each tree, which further harms the state of the soil and makes it challenging for existing flora and fauna to survive in the area. The changes in the use of land from farming crops to palm oil cultivation will also likely lead to instability of food prices as overall crop cultivation reduces. Iceland has been prevented from airing its Christmas advert, New Eurotunnel animal restriction will 'cost the lives of hundreds of thousands of rescue dogs', Here's where I'm A Celebrity 2020 is being filmed - a 'haunted' castle in North Wales, 'Churchill in suspenders' mural will be permitted to stay after council withdraws objections, Last Royal Mail Christmas posting dates for all UK and international postage this year, Families across UK to spend Christmas together after four nations agree festive Covid plan. Big corporations offer quick money the communities need to build roads or for their children's education and health. Rainforests' soils hold about 45% of the world's terrestrial carbon, cutting them down is like releasing a carbon bomb. Furthermore, the growing palm oil fields are reported to have the potential of leading to increased use of herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers that can enter water bodies through groundwater seepage or runoff, which in turn vastly affect aquatic biodiversity. (And How To Keep Them Away), How Recycling Helps Conserve Energy at Home, Are Lithium Batteries Recyclable? In this tree-planting update, see how the forest is coming back in Indonesia, and how your trees are doing in Haiti and in Mali. Attempts have been made to create sustainable palm oil but the success of this has been questioned. Palm oil has a huge impact on the lives of local farmers, who have sold their land to huge companies. The close distances between trees designed to optimize the use of the limited space available have further impacted soil quality. (And Do They Bloom Back), Can You Recycle Wax Paper? But why is it bad? The oil is also colorless and odorless, which explains why most bakers prefer it over other alternatives as it does not change the smell or look of the food.