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Arthur T Knackerbracket has found the following story:
Palm oil is often associated with tropical deforestation above all else. However, this is only one side of the story, as agricultural scientists from the University of Göttingen and the IPB University Bogor (Indonesia) show in a new study.
[...] For the study, the researchers evaluated results from over 30 years of research on the environmental, economic and social consequences of oil palm cultivation in Africa, Asia and Latin America. They combined the results from the international literature with their own data from Indonesia, which they have been collecting since 2012 as part of an interdisciplinary German-Indonesian Collaborative Research Centre (CRC 990). Indonesia is the largest palm oil producer and exporter in the world. A large proportion of the palm oil produced in Indonesia is exported to Europe and the U.S., where it is used by the food, fuel and cosmetics industries.
The research data show that the expansion of oil palm in some regions of the world—especially Indonesia and Malaysia—contributes significantly to tropical deforestation and the loss of biodiversity. Clearing forestland also leads to substantial carbon emissions and other environmental problems. "However, banning palm oil production and trade would not be a sustainable solution," says Professor Matin Qaim, agricultural economist at the University of Göttingen and first author of the study. "The reason is that oil palm produces three times more oil per hectare than soybean, rapeseed, or sunflower. This means that if palm oil was replaced with alternative vegetable oils, much more land would be needed for cultivation, with additional loss of forests and other natural habitats."
Banning palm oil would also have negative economic and social consequences in the producing countries. "It is often assumed that oil palm is only grown on large industrial plantations," says Qaim. "In reality, however, around half of the world's palm oil is produced by smallholder farmers. Our data show that oil palm cultivation increases profits and incomes in the small farm sector, in addition to raising wages and creating additional employment for rural laborers. Although there are incidences of conflicts over land, overall the oil palm boom has significantly reduced rural poverty in Indonesia and other producing countries."
Journal Reference:
Matin Qaim, et al. Environmental, Economic, and Social Consequences of the Oil Palm Boom [open], (DOI: 10.1146/annurev-resource-110119-024922)
Previously:
(2018-12-18) Indonesia: A Country That Became "Crazy Rich"
(2018-12-01) Palm Oil was Supposed to Help Save the Planet. Instead it Unleashed a Catastrophe.
(2017-03-15) A Makeover for the World's Most Hated Crop
(Score: 3, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday May 21 2020, @11:54PM (5 children)
¿Qué? The Berlin Wall fell 3 decades ago.
If by socialism you mean a system where corporations and 'rich' people pay their fair share of tax to feed into the welfare state of universal healthcare, education and public transit...
(Score: 2, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2020, @12:05AM (4 children)
I keep hearing about this mythical "fair share".
In Europe, the approach appears to be: tax the middle class until their nuts squeak like party balloons.
This is why the US doesn't have such a system: the middle class simply doesn't stand for it.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2020, @12:20AM (1 child)
Regardless, Europe isn't socialist.
(Score: 1, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2020, @11:29AM
You're right. Europe is a continent, with many countries on it.
(Score: 1, Insightful) by Anonymous Coward on Friday May 22 2020, @08:50AM (1 child)
Indeed, in the US the middle class won't stand for it -- it's a _much_ longer game to get all their money.
Instead, they tax the lower class, who don't have the time or money to stand up for themselves -- gotta keep working! Make ends meet! They can't quibble when a corp takes an extra $20, that would take too long, gotta keep working!
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday May 23 2020, @02:30PM
> Instead, they tax the lower class...
How did this get to 1, Insightful? Low income people in the USA don't pay any income tax at all. My sister (disabled) used to work part time in a senior living home. There was a little withheld from her check and when she filed she always got it all back.