Could the EU's ban on palm oil in biofuels do more harm than good?

The author contends that the EU's proposed ban on palm oil in biofuels by 2030 prioritizes European crops like rapeseed and soy, which are less land-efficient and store less CO2 than palm oil. The text argues that this policy disincentivizes sustainability certifications like the RSPO, potentially leading to increased deforestation in Malaysia as production shifts to markets like China, while threatening the livelihoods of 650,000 smallholder farmers.

• The EU's plan to ban palm oil in biofuels by 2030 favors European alternative crops such as rapeseed and soybeans, which are less efficient than palm oil. Rapeseed produces four to 10 times less oil per unit of land than palm oil and requires higher amounts of pesticides and fertilizer.
• The proposed ban may undermine the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) and its efforts to implement environmental and social criteria for certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO).
• The ban could lead to increased deforestation in Malaysia and threaten the livelihoods of 650,000 smallholder palm oil farmers in that country, as ASEAN nations may shift production to alternative markets like China.
• The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has cautioned that banning palm oil would increase the consumption of land-intensive oils, including soy, sunflower, and rapeseed, to meet demand.

APA

Ghani, S. S. A. (2019). Could the EU's ban on palm oil in biofuels do more harm than good? World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/the-eu-ban-on-using-palm-oil-in-biofuels-could-do-more-harm-than-good/

Chicago

Ghani, Shareen Shariza Abdul. Could the EU's ban on palm oil in biofuels do more harm than good? World Economic Forum, 2019. https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/the-eu-ban-on-using-palm-oil-in-biofuels-could-do-more-harm-than-good/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Ghani |first1=Shareen Shariza Abdul |title=Could the EU's ban on palm oil in biofuels do more harm than good? |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=8 October 2019 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/the-eu-ban-on-using-palm-oil-in-biofuels-could-do-more-harm-than-good/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{ghani2019could, author = {Ghani, Shareen Shariza Abdul}, title = {{Could the EU's ban on palm oil in biofuels do more harm than good?}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2019}, month = oct, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/sustainable-development/the-eu-ban-on-using-palm-oil-in-biofuels-could-do-more-harm-than-good/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }