WHOEVER SAID PALM OIL WAS SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE WAS WRONG!

Dead orangutan, victim of palm oil. Source: Habitat Advocate.

By Gundhramns Hammer
January 13, 2014

Oil palm plantations are not only a threat to the environment but also to human and animal health (Video 1).

                     Video 1. Spraying pesticides in an oil palm plantation, Colombia.

Here is an example of what were are talking about (Table 1): A listing of extremely toxic agrochemicals (insecticides, herbicides, rodenticides, fungicides, malacocides, etc.) used in oil palm plantations:

Table 1. Agrochemicals used on oil palms in Malaysia, past and future. Source: evb.

In other words, what you get at the end of the line is a contaminated product, a heavily contaminated environment (air, water, soil), health problems, social problems and lots of dead animals and plants. 

How come the latter? Because the clearing of the land to plant oil palm monocultures sends the local biodiversity to hell (Video 2)!! As simple as that.

                                 Video 2. Green - Palm oil deforestation.

And we still have the guts to talk about sustainability! Fuck!!! 

So, now we have a test for you:

• a. Do you care about Mother Nature? 
• b. Do you care about your kids´ future?
• c. Do you care about your own health?
• d. Do you care about other people? 
• e. Do you care about wildlife?
• f.  Do your care about tropical rain forests?
• g. Do you care about climate change?

If your answer was yes to all of the above, then please do your best not to or do not buy anything that contains palm oil, which can go from cosmetics and medicines to foods including cooking oils. Palm oil is also a source of biofuels.

The industrial process of fractionation has made it possible to put oil palm as an ingredient in most products you find at the stores. Please read the label before you buy anything!

Thus, keep in mind that palm oil and its subproducts will be disguised with other names such as synthetic beta-carotene, palm olein, palm stearin, tocols, lauric acid, etc. 

Here is a list of palm oil products: Click HERE, HERE or HERE.

What else can you do? 

It would also help if you reduce your consumption. And of course, reduce or quit your senseless jacking (useless driving) around with your 2 tonnes iron machine, i.e., your car. We do not have one, in case your are wondering.

Let us try to be coherent in an age of incoherence.

References  

Corley R. H. V. & Tinker P. B. (2003). The Oil Palm. 4th Edition. Blackwell Science Ltd., Oxford, UK. 562 p. + 16 pages with photos.

Friends of the Earth (2005). Greasy Palms: The social and ecological impacts of large-scale oil palm development in Southeast Asia. Friends of the Earth, London, UK. 52 p. 

Mason R. (Comp.) (2013). Contamination of water with pesticides is destroying human health: The silent killers. Moray Beekeeping Dinosaurs, Scotland. 74 p.