Activists around the world are calling a stop to extensive and unsustainable palm oil industry. It is very common to hear people calling for boycott on palm oil related products and avoid spending on companies which drive the demand of palm oil up the wall. But how much do we know about the use of palm oil in our everyday lives. How many people are actually affected when boycotting really takes effect? Can we live without palm oil? Not for Borneo, Malaysia, South East Asia or Asia. For one, palm oil is used for cooking. Palm oil has been the main source of income for many families in Malaysia. My father is venturing into oil palm farming because of the reasonable income it provides during his retirement age from now onwards. I have friends who are taking up responsibility of managing their parents’ oil palm plantation. Before palm oil became the inseparable element in life, people used coconut oil, corn oil, peanut oil, animal fats and many other oleo substance. How do we get back to the good old days when palm oil was not in demand? Is there any possibility of persuading the Europeans to go back to olive oil completely? And Americans to use corn oil and soy products? The world has been pointing to Malaysia and Indonesia for the massacre of orangutans, Borneo and Sumatran. But the world is also to be blamed because the demand drives the supply. People have found ways to replace traditional ingredients with palm oil in almost everything, including biodegradable plastic. Let’s not forget the so called green biofuel which is heavily palm oil based. This creates a race to fulfill the thirst for palm oil and this drives conglomerates into Borneo to bulldoze our pristine forests. This translates directly to the thirst for orangutan blood, and the death of many wildlife species leading to extinction. Stop pressuring us with your palm oil demand and we may eventually slow down deforestation and wildlife massacres.
Posted on: Wed, 07 Aug 2013 18:20:54 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015