A topic where I see one of the biggest gaps between public opinion & recommendations from scientists is palm oil 🌴🦧
Companies often boycott palm oil to look sustainable to consumers. But a ban is rarely the recommendation from experts.
🧵on why it's a complex topic
Companies often boycott palm oil to look sustainable to consumers. But a ban is rarely the recommendation from experts.
🧵on why it's a complex topic
Global palm oil production has increased rapidly over the last few decades.
Most palm oil is grown in Indonesia and Malaysia. Together they produce around 85% of the world's palm oil.
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Most palm oil is grown in Indonesia and Malaysia. Together they produce around 85% of the world's palm oil.
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Increased production of palm oil has meant increased demand for agricultural land.
[Although as we'll see later, not as much as we'd expect]
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[Although as we'll see later, not as much as we'd expect]
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Some of this has come at the cost of tropical forests. After beef, oilseeds are the world's largest driver of deforestation.
Here, oilseeds is both palm oil and soybeans.
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Here, oilseeds is both palm oil and soybeans.
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Here there's a bit more nuance. Some of the palm oil that is being grown on previously forested land replaced *already logged forest*.
Nonetheless, it's undeniable that palm oil expansion has come at the cost of a decent amount of tropical forest.
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Nonetheless, it's undeniable that palm oil expansion has come at the cost of a decent amount of tropical forest.
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This tropical deforestation is obviously terrible for ecosystems and biodiversity.
So, palm oil is evil, and we should boycott it, right? Let's swap it for coconut oil or something?
Seems reasonable until you consider what the alternatives might look like.
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So, palm oil is evil, and we should boycott it, right? Let's swap it for coconut oil or something?
Seems reasonable until you consider what the alternatives might look like.
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Palm oil is just an incredibly productive crop. You get massive oil yields compared to the alternatives.
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This means that it produces a large % of global vegetable oil on a small amount of land.
36% of oil on just 9% of land.
As vegetable oil demand has increased, palm oil has been a land efficient way of meeting it.
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36% of oil on just 9% of land.
As vegetable oil demand has increased, palm oil has been a land efficient way of meeting it.
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Consider what would happen if we tried to meet global vegetable oil production from only one crop.
How much land would we need? 👇
10x times less land for palm versus other tropical crops
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How much land would we need? 👇
10x times less land for palm versus other tropical crops
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Some companies have banned palm oil from their products and switched to alternatives such as coconut or groundnut.
That's okay, but imagine if all companies did this. We'd need much, much more tropical croplands to grow it.
That means cutting down tropical forests.
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That's okay, but imagine if all companies did this. We'd need much, much more tropical croplands to grow it.
That means cutting down tropical forests.
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Expert recommendations are therefore geared towards – certification of sustainable palm production (e.g. RSPO);
– tracing palm oil supply chains;
– supporting improvements in crop yields
That means supporting sustainable producers rather than boycotting the whole industry
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– tracing palm oil supply chains;
– supporting improvements in crop yields
That means supporting sustainable producers rather than boycotting the whole industry
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That makes sense for many food products where alternatives are low-yield tropical crops
But some countries also use palm as biofuel. Large % palm oil imported into EU is used for biofuel. That has a larger carbon footprint than diesel. That's something they *should* boycott
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But some countries also use palm as biofuel. Large % palm oil imported into EU is used for biofuel. That has a larger carbon footprint than diesel. That's something they *should* boycott
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All of this is provided in much more detail (with data + references) in our @OurWorldInData page on palm oil: ourworldindata.org/palm-oil
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