Palm pluses

Re: “Decarbonising the palm oil industry,” (Opinion, March 9).

While the writer Nicholas Hurt admits that palm oil farming does create pollution, it is the least polluting of all vegetable oils. And people need to work, so the above writer makes a good point that, rather than eliminating the palm oil industry, it would be best to conduct it in a way which preserves the earth.

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) which Mr Hurt heads came to the conclusion that the best way of achieving this, is by making palm oil products that are environmentally certified.

In practice, this means putting a halt to deforestation. Land must not be needlessly burned once the palm oil is taken from crops which have fully grown; rather, land where palm oil is cultivated must be made more productive. It also means that greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced, and since peat vegetation stores more carbon than all other vegetation types combined, peat lands must not be destroyed.

And finally, local communities must be empowered using proceeds from palm oil cultivation to help reduce inequality and build a better life for all.

It has been found that RSPO Certified Sustainable Palm Oil (CSPO) emits 35% less greenhouse gas emissions and is associated with a 20% lower impact on biodiversity compared to non-certified palm oil.

Hence, it would be prudent to promote the use of CSPO at the upcoming Middle East and North America Climate Summit, Mr Hurt asserts.

I might add it would also be a good idea for Thais to make palm oil in the above manner, bearing in mind how important the product is to the economy of Thailand as a whole, and especially to its southern region. PAUL