Palm oil has been added to many of our favorite foods for years as a way to make them healthier but still taste good. However, now we are realizing the devastating effect that this has had on the environment.
Palm Oil Is Destroying The Environment By:
Palm oil is an edible vegetable oil found in the fruit of oil palm trees. As of right now, it accounts for 65 percent of all vegetable oil traded internationally. The oil palm tree is found in tropical countries. Indonesia also happens to be the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter, right behind China and the United States.
Clearing land for oil palm plantations has led to widespread deforestation. The destruction of tropical forests has been proven to be a major contributor to climate change because burning trees and vegetation release methane and other greenhouse gases.
Oil palm plantations have moved into the peat swamps of Indonesia and Malaysia. If that soil were to remain untouched, the carbon would stay in the ground, but because these areas are being disturbed for plantations, carbon dioxide gets released in the air.
Forest clearance in tropical areas have led rhinos, orangutans, elephants and tigers to the brink of extinction. In peat swamps, 45 percent of mammals and 35 percent of birds are already listed as threatened, vulnerable or endangered.
Look for products that use certified sustainable palm oil(CSPO). This palm oil follows the criteria set by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. That means that the oil palm trees not were planted in an area with significant biodiversity or in a wildlife habitat.
Check The Labels!
Now that you know the truth about palm oil, this may make you pay more attention to the products you buy the next time you go to the grocery store. Did you already know this about palm oil?
Let Us Know What You Think About This!
Article Source: Spoon University
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