False claims of Malaysian palm oil29 October 2008
Friends of the Earth has published a new report entitled: Palm oil - green gold or greenwash?
It exposes misleading claims made by the Malaysian palm oil lobby.
Green gold
In the late 1980s to mid-1990s, the Sarawak region of Malaysia was the focus of an international campaign to prevent logging companies destroying forests.
Forests in Sarawak are now being destroyed to develop palm oil plantations.
The UK Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) reports that Malaysian palm oil used for biofuel in the UK meets a "qualifying environmental standard".
Greenwash
But this report highlights the greenwash and shows that Sarawak state intends to:
- Expand plantations
Doubling oil palm crops by 2010 at the expense of tropical forests. - Burn forests
Releasing greenhouse gases and causing air pollution. - Break promises
Not provide forest reserves promised to indigenous communities.
Friends of the Earth believes that biofuel targets contribute to increased demand and should be scrapped.
The UK Government must take responsibility for the severe impact these plantations are having on:
- Increasing greenhouse gas emissions
- Destroying forests
- Lives of poor communities and indigenous peoples
Resource
Malaysia palm oil - green gold or green wash?
A commentary on the sustainability claims of Malaysia's palm oil lobby, with a special focus on the state of Sarawak.
© Friends of the Earth
