A recently published report sheds light on how 350 big companies and 150 financial institutions are falling behind with goals to halt and reverse deforestation.
Palm oil is used in half the products sold in global supermarkets. Much of the oil comes from Indonesia where it is grown on plantations that are relatively inefficient, but occupy huge areas of land.
As a researcher of sustainability transition, I still believe we can create a more sustainable palm oil industry in Indonesia, where millions of small farmers rely on palm oil for their livelihood.
Brazilian President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva says he will end land clearance in Brazil’s Amazon region. But powerful forces profit from rainforest destruction.
Biofuels are heralded as a climate-friendly replacement of fossil fuels, but encouraging people to drive less and shift to other modes of transport would cut more emissions.
Aditya Alta, Center for Indonesian Policy Studies and Nadaa Jauzaa, Center for Indonesian Policy Studies
Indonesian government’s interventions in regulating prices and supplies for palm oil and its derivative products were short-lived and have instead created confusion.
Over the past two years, labour restrictions, climate change and violent conflict have contributed to the record-breaking high prices of vegetable oil around the world.
More than 100 world leaders have pledged to end the destruction of forests by 2030 as a way to slow climate change. That will require changing how the world produces four widely used commodities.
Palm oil is responsible for widespread deforestation and labor abuses, but it’s also cheap and incredibly useful. That’s why many advocates call for reforming the industry, not replacing it.
Indonesia’s forest fires forensics, Bambang Hero Sahardjo, receives a prestigious award, John Maddox prize, opening hope for scientists to use scientific evidence for law enforcement.
Honorary Fellow, Law School; Associate of the Sydney Democracy Network of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Sydney University, The University of Western Australia