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They say we are bad to cut our forest to plant oil palms- Koon Yew Yin
by Koon Yew Yin
What kind of men would cut down these ancient irreplaceable giants trees? Each of them was over one thousand years old. Over a period of a few decades around 1850, 95% of the two million acres of Redwood forest in California were cut and destroyed.
Now they say we are bad to cut down our forest to plant oil palms.
Oil palm smallholdings and plantations meet the United Nation’s Framework Convention on Climate Change which defines a forest as an area of 0.5 to one hectare having more than 30 per cent canopy cover and having a potential height of two to five metres. To accuse the industry in Malaysia and Indonesia of contributing to global warming is sheer nonsense.
In fact oil palm trees just as with other forest species, produce oxygen for us to breathe and act to counter coal and oil emissions which are the major cause of global warming.
Environmental activist groups such as World Wildlife Fund, Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace have launched many campaigns alleging that the expansion of oil palm plantations have destroyed forests, threatened endangered wildlife and robbed indigenous peoples of their land. Many of their arguments are not based on fact but are sensationalized from a small number of cases.
The anti-oil palm lobby in the west includes pro-soya bean and rape-seed groups who see oil palm as a major competitor and have recruited food lobbyists to play on fears of the health hazards of palm oil consumption. Together with environmental activists, these well-funded groups have created trade barriers to the global oil palm trade under the pretext of environmental activism.
In a fair contest amongst competing vegetable oils, palm oil will win hands down. The oil palm tree is the world’s most efficient oil crop because one can harvest five tonnes of oil per hectare. This is 10 times more productive than soya bean planted in the West, including United States and five times more productive than rapeseed, Europe’s main oil crop.
It is an undeniable fact that palm oil is the cheapest and most popular form of cooking oil for consumers, including many poor families in the west. Should trade barriers to benefit rapeseed farmers who are already heavily subsidised by the European Union (EU) government be successfully implemented, this will hurt consumers all over the world.
Also should alternatives to oil palm be grown, more land would be needed to produce an equivalent volume of oil to replace palm oil, resulting in more deforestation and problems for Mother Earth.
Finally, the western environmental activists’ campaign against oil palm plantation expansion, in the name of “saving rainforests”, is a violation of international norms and Malaysia’s and Indonesia’s sovereignty.
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Many years ago I studied from school that human being would starve as human population grows faster than production of food. Fortunately, the agriculture revolution with invention and vast application of chemicals (fertilizer, insecticides and herbicides), production of food has grown exponentially and certainly faster than global population. Consequently billion of lives were saved and thus you and I can now sit at front of PC exchanging view after great dinner.
For technology advancement for the greater benefit of human being, certain degrees of sacrifices have to be there. It would be a bit hypocrite for affluence people asking to stop vast agriculture activities for environment preservation.
What do you think ?
Thks.
2013-09-24 22:00
well, I disagree with what mentioned in the article saying that oil palm tree are the same as forest. Though oil palm trees do provide oxygen to the atmosphere but what about the land? It is known fact that oil palm tree will cause land sliding and flooding as they doesn't hold water as good as tropical rain forest. In addition, what about the animals? Do you think animals can live well in oil palm estate? It is a fact that agricultural is a major cause of deforestation. Like what Bird mentioned above, 2 wrong doesn't equal to 1 right. The Japanese killed before, does it authorize us the right to kill Japanese now?
2013-09-25 08:28
I prefer rainforest,the lung of earth and habitat/sanctuary for nonhuman species, once it's lost could hardly grow back, at least in one's lifetime. I can consume less oil, better for my health. Should promote lesser oil consumption diet awareness globally. Soya beans or palm.
2013-09-25 08:49
the NGO's has hidden agenda against oil palm growers. (Indonesia) ticked off the Western NGO's. Before we can take care of the orang Utans we need to take care millions of our own orang Miskin.
Western NGO's are biased against ASian countries. look at their own countries. All their forests have already make way for Industries in the early 50's and 60's. Now they are telling (Asian) countries do not developed and restrict the land usage.
We need to have a balanced view of development. What's the NGO's says is not gospel truth. Look at China. NGO's have years complained China on many issues. China struggles thru the 60's and 70's. until Teng open up China thru their new economic policies. Western countries shun China.
China appeal to their overseas Chinese (Wah Chiao) to answer their call for development. Who responded Not the western NGO's but people like Robert Kuok , Li Ka Shing, Henery Chao and many many overseas Chinese investor.
This is my own opinion and nothing personal against the NGO's.
2013-09-25 09:05
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2 wrong does not equal to 1 right, they make mistake in the past does not mean we can make mistake now......
2013-09-24 20:08