Palm Oil

The document details how palm oil production, primarily in Indonesia and Malaysia, drives deforestation and releases significant carbon and methane emissions, particularly through the draining and burning of peatlands. It notes that while Indonesia and Malaysia have implemented some protections and the RSPO seeks to improve sustainability, RSPO standards remain insufficient. The text highlights a shift in the supply chain, with over 60 percent of globally traded palm oil covered by deforestation-free commitments as of 2016, while warning that future expansion in countries like Brazil and Colombia must be managed to protect forests.

• Palm oil production is a major driver of deforestation, particularly in Indonesia and Malaysia, where tropical forests and peatlands are cleared. In Indonesia, palm cultivation contributed between 2 and 9 percent of global emissions from tropical land use from 2000 to 2010.
• The drainage and burning of peatlands for palm oil release substantial amounts of carbon and methane, as peatlands can store 18 to 28 times more carbon than the forests above them. These fires also create a haze linked to over 100,000 deaths annually in Southeast Asia due to particulate matter exposure.
• Palm oil expansion negatively impacts biodiversity and human rights; only about 15 percent of native animal species survive the shift from primary forest to plantation. Additionally, growers have been accused of land seizures and the use of forced labor.
• Current industry and government responses are incomplete. While Indonesia established a moratorium on new concessions for primary forests and peatlands in 2010, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) standards fail to protect secondary or regenerating forests and provide limited protection for peatlands.
• There has been a significant increase in corporate commitments to source deforestation-free and peat-free palm oil, with more than 60 percent of globally traded palm oil covered by such commitments as of 2016.

APA

Union of Concerned Scientists (2016). Palm Oil. https://www.ucs.org/resources/palm-oil

Chicago

Union of Concerned Scientists. Palm Oil. 2016. https://www.ucs.org/resources/palm-oil.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Union of Concerned Scientists |title=Palm Oil |date=18 January 2016 |url=https://www.ucs.org/resources/palm-oil |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{unionofconcernedscientists2016palm, author = {{Union of Concerned Scientists}}, title = {{Palm Oil}}, institution = {Union of Concerned Scientists}, year = {2016}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ucs.org/resources/palm-oil}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }