Rhett Butler

Palm oil and Tropical Forests ! Rhett Butler

Annual!average!tropical!deforesta3on! (thousand!hectares)!!

Annual average tropical deforestation

2,800 acres/hour = 0.8 acres/min

Annual!tropical!forest!loss,!2000:2005! Annual!average!tropical!deforesta3on! (thousand!hectares)!!

Indiana!

+! Delaware!




Drivers of oil palm expansion -  - 

- 

Rising global demand for food and fuel Palm oil used widely: -  Cooking oil -  Fat in processed food -  Cosmetics -  Industrial use -  Biodiesel Very high yield relative to other oilseeds -  Makes palm oil a cheap source of vegetable oil -  Potentially very profitable for landowners

OIL PALM FRUIT Kernel Mesocarp Endocarp

Exocarp

OIL PALM FRUIT Fresh fruit bunch (FFB) = 23-27 kg Fruit/bunch = 60-65% Oil/bunch = 21-23% Kernel/bunch = 5-7% Yield = 15-30 FFB/ha Oil yield = 3-7 t CPO/ha/yr; 0.3-0.6 t PKO/ha/yr

ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS

LAND USE CHANGE Palm oil in Indonesia: Drives 50% peat & 25% forest conversion

LAND USE CHANGE Biodiversity loss through habitat destruction >80% loss in wildlife between natural forest and oil palm (TREE 2008)

LAND USE CHANGE Conflict with wildlife: orangutans, elephants Bad for humans and wildlife

LAND USE CHANGE GHG emissions

FROM: -  Deforestation -  Land-clearing fires -  Peat drainage (peat oxidation and fire)

POLLUTION

- Palm oil mill effluent (POME) -  Runoff from fertilizers and pesticides

EMISSIONS

RSPO 2009!

EMISSIONS

RSPO 2009!

EMISSIONS

E.U. 2012!

EMISSIONS

Carbon Debt approach Fargione et al (2008) SCIENCE!

SOCIAL PROBLEMS Concessions often granted on contested lands -  Community forests rarely recognized -  Loss of forest products like fruit trees, jungle rubber, game -  Effects of water pollution -  Conflict b/w companies and communities common Poor wages & difficult working conditions for workers -  Companies often rely on migrant workers since local communities won’t work on plantations -  Debt bondage-schemes common for small-holders mongabay.com!

PALM OIL ACTIVISM

GREENPEACE VS. SINAR MAS 2008-2011

THINGS TO WATCH

- Brazil’s expansion target - RSPO -  Gold-Agri Resources -  Low carbon fuel standards mongabay.com!

BRAZIL

Target: 5M ha by 2020 “Green” palm oil

mongabay.com!

RSPO

mongabay.com!

Pollution prevention Compliance with laws No social conflict Erosion control Integrated Pest Management No conversion of HCVF Proper training for workers EIAs Energy efficiency No fire GHG accounting criteria (2012?) ! !

GAR FOREST POLCY

Will it hold? Will it spread to other players?

LOW CARBON FUEL STANDARDS “No” for palm oil from E.U. and US (2012) mongabay.com!

RheE!A.!Butler! [email protected]!

mongabay.com!