Green claims of Malaysian palm oil exposed

Friends of the Earth has published a report entitled: Palm oil - green gold or green wash?

It exposes misleading claims made by the Malaysian palm oil lobby.

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.

The state of Sarawak is now developing palm oil plantations. Tearing up the rest of their forests to produce it.

The UK Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) reports that Malaysian palm oil used for biofuel in the UK meets a "qualifying environmental standard".

But this report highlights the green wash and shows that Sarawak state intends to:

• Expand plantations
  Aiming to double oil palm crops by 2010 at the expense of tropical forests.
• Burn forests
  Releasing greenhouse gases and causing air pollution.
• Breaking promises
  Not providing 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
• The destruction of 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.

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