Why a ban on palm oil won’t solve deforestation
Palm oil is one of the crops which are most frequently associated with deforestation, habitat loss, local community displacement and other social and environmental issues. This has initiated a discussion about whether we need a ban on Malaysian palm oil (or any other).
However, while it is true that the current way Malaysian palm oil is produced is a major driver of deforestation and other issues associated with it, the whole topic is a whole lot more complicated than that and will require a more complex solution than a palm oil ban.
That’s because if we were to give up palm oil completely, we’d need to find an alternative – and doing so would be more destructive to the environment than you likely think.