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To select just one of their arguments--that palm oil's production results in deforestation/climate change--one can make the same sort of argument about nearly a
by acaloiar 11y ago
To select just one of their arguments--that palm oil's production results in deforestation/climate change--one can make the same sort of argument about nearly any industry. E.g. if solar power companies of the future were to deforest mass swaths of land to make way for large solar farms, then one might argue that the solar industry contributes to climate change. It's a poor argument because the production of solar energy in no way necessitates deforestation; similarly palm oil production does not necessitate deforestation, animal cruelty, and non-sustainable production methods.
I'm not arguing for or against palm oil. I know virtually nothing about palm oil; I'm simply criticizing the source.
- samastur 11y agoBorneo used to be covered in forest that was home to one of richest habitats in the world. If you fly over Malaysian part of Borneo now (don't know about Indonesia since I wasn't there, but apparently it is following Malaysian lead), you will see palm plantations for miles and almost no old forest. There is stil some forest left for orangutans and other endangered species, but it is under constant pressure from expanding plantations.
- kokey 11y agoCurrently the biggest pressure on demand for palm oil is for biofuels. The result has been a significant recent and planned expansion of palm oil plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia. It doesn't help that many countries now have a mandatory biofuel component. I think the potential increase in demand for replacing trans fat is probably not that big compared to what comes as a result of demand for biodiesel.
- toomuchtodo 11y agoI guess we should ramp up electric vehicle production to eliminate the need for those biofuels.
- LordKano 11y agoI haven't checked the chemistry but I do have a question. Can the oils that we're currently hydrogenating be used for biofuel production?
- jgrowl 11y agoYou're right that there other contributing factors with the production of any product. I feel like you still have to take them into consideration though. Many are specifically worried about palm production because a lot of the areas that are being deforested are also peatlands. They burn the entire area which doesn't just burn the trees, but also a huge amount of peat. This releases a crazy amount of CO2. You could argue that it isn't palm production's fault and that they shouldn't be burning those areas. As long as it is profitable it will continue though.
- acaloiar 11y agoI agree that all factors should be taken into consideration. But to counter I ask, if great things can be done poorly, should they not be done at all? Not to suggest that palm oil is a "great thing"; I'm generalizing my counter to the source's argumentative approach.
- pixl97 11y ago<But to counter I ask, if great things can be done poorly, should they not be done at all? Yes, all kinds of things are illegal or banned because people will choose to do the wrong thing before the right thing.
- acaloiar 11y agoI suppose a defeatist might not drink coffee because it can be grown unsustainably and farmed with slave labor, while a pragmatist recognizes the merits of fair-trade and lives a java-full life.
- tobylane 11y agoGrowing palm oil doesn't necessitate deforestation in the same way that growing vegetables doesn't require pesticides. But the commercial way of making them does require them. In the context of the industry of palm oil, not growing it at home, it is factually correct to say it involves deforestation, major damage to wildlife and in a small way some climate change.