Exponential growth of palm oil a risk to environment and climate

Every 47 seconds, a piece of rainforest the size of a football field disappears, among other things for the production of palm oil and soya. The N-VA is sounding the alarm about the impact of the increasing consumption of palm oil on deforestation, climate and possibly even public health. It advocates a debate in which the various different alternatives are weighed up against one another.

Negative impact

Since 1995, the consumption of palm oil has quadrupled. And it may quadruple again by 2050. A positive outcome of this is that palm oil is providing jobs in countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia. What’s less of a positive outcome is that rainforests are being burned and hacked down at a dizzying pace to make way for new plantations. “The production of non-sustainable palm oil emits enormous quantities of CO2 and threatens the continued existence of a great many animal species, including the orang-utan and the Sumatran tiger,” the N-VA says. There are also often irregular social conditions on those plantations, and the rights of the original population are not always respected.

Healthy alternatives

In addition, ever more research is showing the possible health risks of palm oil, which are greater than for other vegetable fats. For these reasons, the N-VA is asking the government to investigate the promotion of sustainable palm oil and the impact on public health. “If we have to make a choice between sustainable (or otherwise) palm oil or alternative vegetable fats, such as European oil from sunflowers, rapeseed or olives, what are we to do? And don’t forget to take into account the greater impact of palm oil on public health. We think it is time for a serious debate,” the N-VA concludes.