Lessons from the MSPO to the WEF on Developing Palm Oil Sustainably
How African palm oil can boost livelihoods and protect forests
- The WEF published an article recently on the development of sustainable palm oil in Africa.
- The WEF has been a strong proponent of palm oil as a needed solution for global development, with articles like How an EU ban on palm oil could do more harm than good, How the palm oil industry is transitioning to net zero.
- The latest article, How African palm oil can boost livelihoods and protect forests, took a nasty turn against Southeast Asian palm oil which is unfortunate.
According to the WEF article
“But, palm oil is a major cause of deforestation, especially in Asia's carbon-rich and biodiverse tropical forests. The conversion of swamp forests in Malaysia and Indonesia to palm oil plantations is responsible for up to 0.8% of all greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to almost half the global aviation industry.”
In making broad statements like this, WEF gives the impression that the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia, continues to contribute 0.8% of global emissions every year. This is a distortion of facts which the average reader will only see at face value unless, they click on the link and discover that the 0.8% emissions is actually based on an article in The Conversation which raised every possible angle to paint palm oil black.
The Conservation claimed that:
“So far, our research found that 3 million hectares of tropical peat swamp forests in Malaysia and Indonesia have been replaced by palm oil plantations. Even as you read this article, new areas are being cleared at record rates. This is a serious problem – once the swamp dries out, the long-stored peat is rapidly converted to greenhouse gases.”
A screenshot of a UNEP tweet was then used to support “300 football fields” falsehood. 1 football field is roughly 1 acre. (The exact measurements of football fields vary.) 1 hectare = 2.47 acres. 2.47 football fields in 1 hectare.
“But, palm oil is a major cause of deforestation, especially in Asia's carbon-rich and biodiverse tropical forests. The conversion of swamp forests in Malaysia and Indonesia to palm oil plantations is responsible for up to 0.8% of all greenhouse gas emissions – equivalent to almost half the global aviation industry.”
In making broad statements like this, WEF gives the impression that the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia, continues to contribute 0.8% of global emissions every year. This is a distortion of facts which the average reader will only see at face value unless, they click on the link and discover that the 0.8% emissions is actually based on an article in The Conversation which raised every possible angle to paint palm oil black.
The Conservation claimed that:
“So far, our research found that 3 million hectares of tropical peat swamp forests in Malaysia and Indonesia have been replaced by palm oil plantations. Even as you read this article, new areas are being cleared at record rates. This is a serious problem – once the swamp dries out, the long-stored peat is rapidly converted to greenhouse gases.”
A screenshot of a UNEP tweet was then used to support “300 football fields” falsehood. 1 football field is roughly 1 acre. (The exact measurements of football fields vary.) 1 hectare = 2.47 acres. 2.47 football fields in 1 hectare.
UNEP tweeting false data on palm oil
UNEP’s tweet is false. There simply isn’t enough palm oil plantations in Southeast Asia to support UNEP’s claim.
So what drove WEF to feature Southeast Asian palm oil in such negative light? To the point of using weak arguments to make itself look smart for the fledgling sustainable palm oil industry in Africa?
Southeast Asian Sustainable Palm Oil A Working Model for Africa
If WEF knows anything about the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia at all, it would see in plain sight, that the palm oil industries in Malaysia and Indonesia have been a key solution to the sustainable development of these two countries.
The WEF tried to make a weak point by saying that:
“This is heightening concerns around potential deforestation and exploitation of indigenous peoples and local communities in the tropical forests of the Congo Basin and West Africa.”
Heightening concerns by who? Conservation groups whose wish for protecting forests in Africa runs counter to the needs of African nations for development? Since when has the WEF shown concern about what conservation groups say?
Any criticisms of the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia must look beyond the “millions of hectares of forests lost to palm oil” and recognize the crop has been instrumental in reducing poverty among rural communities everywhere palm oil is grown. The key lesson for Africa, which continues to see rising rates of deforestation due to other causes, is that the suggestions made by WEF for a sustainable palm oil industry, are not new or different. What WEF suggested has already been put into action in Southeast Asia.
Key points made by WEF
For example, WEF suggested that the African initiative is doing things differently by “getting the right government policies in place.”
Both Indonesia and Malaysia already have the “right policies in place” which also, are extended to other commodities.
Malaysia, which has 5.8 million hectares of palm oil plantations, has committed to cap any expansions to 6.5 million hectares with special attention to forest reserves.
Indonesia has an expansive Forest and Land Use (FoLU) program to manage its forests. The FoLU program recently gained the support of Norway and the UK.
For palm oil specific policies, mandatory certification programs in the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) have been put in place to offer quality assurance for foreign buyers. Both the MSPO and ISPO work towards the points made by the WEF in “avoiding deforestation” and “engaging local communities.”
As for working with the private sector to boost productivity, the private sector in both the Malaysian and Indonesian industries have done this for decades. Which explains why yields and productivity are so high in these Southeast Asian countries.
India, which is also making the news as the country plans to expand oil palm cultivation, is looking towards its Southeast Asian neighbours for knowledge and materials to do so sustainably.
To sum it up, rather than painting the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia black in order to make its suggestions for African palm oil sound smart, WEF should acknowledge the indisputable fact that the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia offers not just mistakes to African aspirations but in fact, offers a model of how palm oil should be produced sustainably.
Published November, 2022. CSPO Watch
So what drove WEF to feature Southeast Asian palm oil in such negative light? To the point of using weak arguments to make itself look smart for the fledgling sustainable palm oil industry in Africa?
Southeast Asian Sustainable Palm Oil A Working Model for Africa
If WEF knows anything about the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia at all, it would see in plain sight, that the palm oil industries in Malaysia and Indonesia have been a key solution to the sustainable development of these two countries.
The WEF tried to make a weak point by saying that:
“This is heightening concerns around potential deforestation and exploitation of indigenous peoples and local communities in the tropical forests of the Congo Basin and West Africa.”
Heightening concerns by who? Conservation groups whose wish for protecting forests in Africa runs counter to the needs of African nations for development? Since when has the WEF shown concern about what conservation groups say?
Any criticisms of the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia must look beyond the “millions of hectares of forests lost to palm oil” and recognize the crop has been instrumental in reducing poverty among rural communities everywhere palm oil is grown. The key lesson for Africa, which continues to see rising rates of deforestation due to other causes, is that the suggestions made by WEF for a sustainable palm oil industry, are not new or different. What WEF suggested has already been put into action in Southeast Asia.
Key points made by WEF
For example, WEF suggested that the African initiative is doing things differently by “getting the right government policies in place.”
Both Indonesia and Malaysia already have the “right policies in place” which also, are extended to other commodities.
Malaysia, which has 5.8 million hectares of palm oil plantations, has committed to cap any expansions to 6.5 million hectares with special attention to forest reserves.
Indonesia has an expansive Forest and Land Use (FoLU) program to manage its forests. The FoLU program recently gained the support of Norway and the UK.
For palm oil specific policies, mandatory certification programs in the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) and Indonesian Sustainable Palm Oil (ISPO) have been put in place to offer quality assurance for foreign buyers. Both the MSPO and ISPO work towards the points made by the WEF in “avoiding deforestation” and “engaging local communities.”
As for working with the private sector to boost productivity, the private sector in both the Malaysian and Indonesian industries have done this for decades. Which explains why yields and productivity are so high in these Southeast Asian countries.
India, which is also making the news as the country plans to expand oil palm cultivation, is looking towards its Southeast Asian neighbours for knowledge and materials to do so sustainably.
To sum it up, rather than painting the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia black in order to make its suggestions for African palm oil sound smart, WEF should acknowledge the indisputable fact that the palm oil industry in Southeast Asia offers not just mistakes to African aspirations but in fact, offers a model of how palm oil should be produced sustainably.
Published November, 2022. CSPO Watch
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