Greenpeace encourages sustainable growth of palm oil industry

Antara 22 May 08;

Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Greenpeace has called on crude palm oil producers to think of sustainable growth to prevent environmental damage.

"We are not against industries, but they need to understand the need for the most appropriate management of the environment so that industries could continue operating safely, without harming the environment," Southeast Asia Greenpeace political advisor Arief Wicaksono told a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He added that the expand of land for the cultivation of oil palm should be temporarily stopped to enable the industries to continue operations safely.

"If the producers and suppliers of CPO, and CPO-consuming industries failed to immediately stop damaging the forests unsustainable industrial operations will create carbon emissions in the future," he added.

He added that as the result of oil palm plantation expansion into forests, and peatland, will increase the emission of CO2 (carbon dioxide/greenhouse effect).

"In Indonesia, the annual greenhouse emissions from peatland located near oil palm concessions constitute one percent of the total global emissions," he said.

He also said that if the Kyoto Protocal, second stage, is applied by giving a compensation 30 euro per ton of C02 gas emissions, the producers will lose their income.

As an example he cited Unilever as one of the biggest CPO consumers, if the carbon effects is directed to the company, it would have to pay 714 million euro per year, or 14 percent of its total profits.

"For that purpose, Unilever as a company has pioneered in calling for a halt in environmental damage through a moratorium in the CPO industry," he said.

He also said that the damage on the forests caused by oil palm state expansion is also the result of bad government management of this industry.