Impacts of palm oil

Palm oil is one of the most widely traded vegetable oils in the world and is used extensively in food products, cosmetics and biofuels. Oil palm is often considered one of the most land-efficient oil crops, producing substantially higher yields per hectare than alternatives such as soybean, rapeseed or sunflower oil (Meijaard et al., 2020). However, the rapid expansion of plantations has generated growing concerns regarding deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss and social impacts, particularly in tropical regions (Vijay et al., 2016; Ayompe et al., 2021).

One of the strongest connections between palm oil and climate change is deforestation. Vijay et al. (2016) show that oil palm expansion has become an important driver of forest conversion in tropical regions, particularly in Southeast Asia. Forests and peatlands store large amounts of carbon, and when they are cleared or burned to establish plantations, significant greenhouse gas emissions are released into the atmosphere. Peatland drainage is particularly problematic because it generates long-term carbon emissions and increases the risk of forest fires. As global demand for palm oil continues to grow, further expansion could contribute to climate change unless production is decoupled from deforestation.

Palm oil also has important implications for biodiversity. According to Vijay et al. (2016), many plantations have expanded into biodiversity-rich tropical forests that provide habitat for endangered species. Indonesia and Malaysia, which together produce the majority of the world's palm oil, have experienced significant habitat loss affecting species such as orangutans, tigers, elephants and rhinoceroses. The replacement of diverse forest ecosystems with monoculture plantations reduces species richness and disrupts ecological processes. Biodiversity impacts are especially severe when plantations are established in primary forests or other areas of high conservation value.

The places most affected are tropical producer countries, particularly Indonesia and Malaysia, although expansion is increasingly occurring in parts of Africa and Latin America. The people most affected include Indigenous communities, smallholder farmers and rural populations who depend on forests for their livelihoods. Ayompe et al. (2021) highlight that palm oil production can generate employment, income and infrastructure development, contributing positively to human wellbeing. However, these benefits are often unevenly distributed and may come at the cost of land conflicts, reduced ecosystem services and environmental degradation.

Both articles suggest that outright boycotts of palm oil are unlikely to be the most effective solution. Because oil palm is highly productive, replacing it with less efficient crops could require even more land. Instead, effective interventions should focus on eliminating deforestation from supply chains, protecting high conservation value forests, restoring degraded lands and strengthening land-use governance. Sustainable certification schemes such as the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) can help improve environmental and social practices, although Ayompe et al. (2021) note that certification alone cannot address all sustainability challenges.

In my view, the most promising approach is a combination of stronger regulation, corporate accountability and support for sustainable smallholder production. Palm oil itself is not inherently unsustainable; rather, the environmental and social consequences depend on where and how it is produced. Achieving sustainability therefore requires balancing economic development with the protection of climate, biodiversity and local livelihoods.


References

- Ayompe, L.M., Schaafsma, M. and Egoh, B.N. (2021) ‘Towards sustainable palm oil production: The positive and negative impacts on ecosystem services and human wellbeing’, Journal of Cleaner Production, 278, 123914.

- Vijay, V., Pimm, S.L., Jenkins, C.N. and Smith, S.J. (2016) ‘The impacts of oil palm on recent deforestation and biodiversity loss’, PLoS ONE, 11(7), e0159668.

- Meijaard et al. (2020) pour la question de la productivité élevée du palmier à huile comparée aux autres huiles végétales ;

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