Positives & Negatives of Palm Oil And It's Production (3.4,5,6, 10, & 16)
There ARE positives of Palm Oil, but the negative aspects outweigh them drastically. The problem is not the Palm Oil itself, but WHERE and HOW it is extracted and produced. Below are some positives and negatives:
Palm Oil is very cheap to produce and has the lowest production cost per unit out of all vegetable oils.
This may be true, but if you total up the cost of the damage it will do to our environment and our LIFE as a
whole- this seems almost irrelevant. Soon, so much rainforest will be cut down that we will have no endangered species left and less trees to regulate oxygen, which could be the end of the human race in itself.
The extraction process of Palm Oil from the Oil Palm is relatively simple and easy, meaning that speciality workers do not need to be trained.
This increases the chance of poorly paid workers, essentially 'slaves', people who do not have many skills, people who are lucky to have a job- and are taken advantage of because of this. They can be used for simple, monotonous tasks that require no skill. Apparently, poor people are the employees at these plantations- well doesn't the word 'poor' just prove that they may be underpaid for working in such a large franchise that recieves thousands of dollars every day?
Palm Oil is beneficial to blood sugar levels and has affects similar to those of Olive Oil
Like all oils, Palm Oil is not good for health if excessive amounts are consumed regularly. It contains high amounts of saturated fat.
Several negative health aspects associated with the consumption of Palm Oil have recently been proven wrong
See Above.
High Yield- Oil Palm Plantations can produce up to SEVEN TONNES of Oil per hectare!
This is true, but the environmental cost HUGELY outweighs this positive aspects- the more oil plantations produce per hectare,the lower the production cost, the lower the production cost, the higher the demand, the higher the demand, the more rainforest cut down, the more rainforest cut down, the less chance of sustainability. It all adds up and hits us 'round the face, doesn't it?
Palm Oil is the most competively price oil in the global market-and has been for the last twenty years
If Palm Oil producers had to pay a fine for destroying rainforests, their production prices would increase and demand would drop.
Palm Oil is versatile and can be used in a number of different food products and cosmetics
But what about 30 years ago? Back then, palm oil wasn't used is nearly as many products as today,
in fact, it was almost non-existant in much of the Western-world. So why does there need to be such a high demand for it in the modern world? We don't need palm oil. There a many alternatives to palm oil, but unfortunately none as cheap and efficient, which is why companies are reluctant to switch.
Can be used as biofuel
See our 'But It's Biofuel' and Multimedia page for more information!
To Sum Up:
Economic:
Pros:
-Very cheap to produce and has the lowest production cost per unit out of all vegetable oils.
-High Yield- Oil Palm Plantations can produce up to SEVEN TONNES of Oil per hectare!
- The most competively price oil in the global market-and has been for the last twenty years.
Cons:
-Environmental cost largely outweighs the profitable gain.
Social & Health
Pros:
-Beneficial to blood sugar levels.
-Speciality workers do not have to be trained.
-Most people can work in plantatations because the extraction and growing proccess is relatively simple.
-Provides vast employment for people so they are able to earn money and provide for their families.
Cons:
-Workers often mistreated or exploited.
-Workers often underpaid.
-Like all oils, Palm Oil is not good for health and contains high amounts of saturated fat.
-Culture and lifestyle of tribes living in rainforests either altered or destroyed.
Environmental:
Pros:
-Can be used as biofuel.
Cons:
-Many species of endangered animals killed due to habitat loss, burning, or brutal shootings.
-Mega C02 emissions released into the atmosphere due to burning of carbon-rich peatland soil.
-Reduction in trees-oxygen source.
-Deforestation-destruction of the worlds 'clean green' image.
There ARE positives of Palm Oil, but the negative aspects outweigh them drastically. The problem is not the Palm Oil itself, but WHERE and HOW it is extracted and produced. Below are some positives and negatives:
Palm Oil is very cheap to produce and has the lowest production cost per unit out of all vegetable oils.
This may be true, but if you total up the cost of the damage it will do to our environment and our LIFE as a
whole- this seems almost irrelevant. Soon, so much rainforest will be cut down that we will have no endangered species left and less trees to regulate oxygen, which could be the end of the human race in itself.
The extraction process of Palm Oil from the Oil Palm is relatively simple and easy, meaning that speciality workers do not need to be trained.
This increases the chance of poorly paid workers, essentially 'slaves', people who do not have many skills, people who are lucky to have a job- and are taken advantage of because of this. They can be used for simple, monotonous tasks that require no skill. Apparently, poor people are the employees at these plantations- well doesn't the word 'poor' just prove that they may be underpaid for working in such a large franchise that recieves thousands of dollars every day?
Palm Oil is beneficial to blood sugar levels and has affects similar to those of Olive Oil
Like all oils, Palm Oil is not good for health if excessive amounts are consumed regularly. It contains high amounts of saturated fat.
Several negative health aspects associated with the consumption of Palm Oil have recently been proven wrong
See Above.
High Yield- Oil Palm Plantations can produce up to SEVEN TONNES of Oil per hectare!
This is true, but the environmental cost HUGELY outweighs this positive aspects- the more oil plantations produce per hectare,the lower the production cost, the lower the production cost, the higher the demand, the higher the demand, the more rainforest cut down, the more rainforest cut down, the less chance of sustainability. It all adds up and hits us 'round the face, doesn't it?
Palm Oil is the most competively price oil in the global market-and has been for the last twenty years
If Palm Oil producers had to pay a fine for destroying rainforests, their production prices would increase and demand would drop.
Palm Oil is versatile and can be used in a number of different food products and cosmetics
But what about 30 years ago? Back then, palm oil wasn't used is nearly as many products as today,
in fact, it was almost non-existant in much of the Western-world. So why does there need to be such a high demand for it in the modern world? We don't need palm oil. There a many alternatives to palm oil, but unfortunately none as cheap and efficient, which is why companies are reluctant to switch.
Can be used as biofuel
See our 'But It's Biofuel' and Multimedia page for more information!
To Sum Up:
Economic:
Pros:
-Very cheap to produce and has the lowest production cost per unit out of all vegetable oils.
-High Yield- Oil Palm Plantations can produce up to SEVEN TONNES of Oil per hectare!
- The most competively price oil in the global market-and has been for the last twenty years.
Cons:
-Environmental cost largely outweighs the profitable gain.
Social & Health
Pros:
-Beneficial to blood sugar levels.
-Speciality workers do not have to be trained.
-Most people can work in plantatations because the extraction and growing proccess is relatively simple.
-Provides vast employment for people so they are able to earn money and provide for their families.
Cons:
-Workers often mistreated or exploited.
-Workers often underpaid.
-Like all oils, Palm Oil is not good for health and contains high amounts of saturated fat.
-Culture and lifestyle of tribes living in rainforests either altered or destroyed.
Environmental:
Pros:
-Can be used as biofuel.
Cons:
-Many species of endangered animals killed due to habitat loss, burning, or brutal shootings.
-Mega C02 emissions released into the atmosphere due to burning of carbon-rich peatland soil.
-Reduction in trees-oxygen source.
-Deforestation-destruction of the worlds 'clean green' image.