ナショナルジオグラフィックさんのインスタグラム写真 - (ナショナルジオグラフィックInstagram)「Photo by Ian Teh @iantehphotography | Palm oil plantation, Carey Island, Selangor, Malaysia. Malaysia and Indonesia together produce 85% of the world's palm oil. For a week in Kuala Lumpur, where I'm based, the city has been shrouded in a toxic haze from burning peat forests—set on fire to clear land for palm oil and pulpwood plantations on the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The resulting haze can travel as far as neighboring Malaysia and Singapore. Conservation biologist Adam Kamal explains why palm oil is so ubiquitous: "It is in almost everything: toothpaste, ice cream, cosmetic creams, and even in some fuels. No other crop produces the same amount of vegetable oil per acre that oil palm does." However, while "the productivity of well-maintained oil palm is amazing, the key issues now are the sustainable management of palm oil plantations, monocropping with heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and expansion of plantations into pristine forest areas. High-quality forests are cut down for a one-off profit, which then eases the leasing of a clear-cut area for oil palm plantations. The key is to use already degraded land or land that aren’t primary forest or healthy secondary forest for these plantations as well as making sure that the supply chain is kept sustainable." Oil palm itself is not evil, but it must be regulated. #palmoil #environment #sustainability」11月20日 16時39分