{"id":41758,"date":"2019-11-30T06:22:26","date_gmt":"2019-11-30T06:22:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=41758"},"modified":"2019-11-30T06:22:26","modified_gmt":"2019-11-30T06:22:26","slug":"how-the-worlds-demand-for-palm-oil-is-driving-deforestation-in-indonesia","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qatar-news.org\/qatarnewsEn\/?p=41758","title":{"rendered":"How the world’s demand for palm oil is driving deforestation in Indonesia"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By Rebecca Wright<\/strong>, Ivan Watson<\/strong>, Tom Booth<\/strong> and Masrur Jamaluddin<\/strong>, CNN<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Kalimantan, Indonesia (CNN) \u2014<\/strong> Deep within the jungles of Indonesian Borneo, illegal fires rage, creating apocalyptic red skies and smoke that has spread as far as Malaysia and Singapore.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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People are choking. Animals are dying.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This is no ordinary fire. It was lit for you.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Farmers are clearing land the fastest way they know how to cash in on growing demand for palm oil, which is used in half of all supermarket products, from chocolate to shampoo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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They\u2019re not only burning the forest, they\u2019re destroying the peatlands that lie beneath it — the world\u2019s largest natural terrestrial carbon sink.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Fire data by NASA FIRMS, NRT VIIRS 375m Active Fire product, for all of September 2019. Map credit: Maps4news.com\/\u00a9HERE<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Experts say the annual infernos have ignited a climate bomb with disastrous consequences for the world in years to come.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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And the fires will keep burning, they say, until Western consumers say no.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Firefighters work in tropical heat, breathing toxic air, for as little as $8 a day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Some fires are so remote they must travel more than an hour in wooden boats loaded with equipment, then hike several miles through the jungle.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the fire front, they dig makeshift wells and rig up generators to pump water to douse the flames.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe are fighting here almost two weeks already … stay in here, sleep in here,\u201d Krisyoyo, leader of a patrol team with the Center for International Sustainable Tropical Peatland (CIMTROP) says, as he hoses down flames. \u201cThe fire (is) coming I think from humans,\u201d says Krisyoyo, who like many Indonesians only goes by one name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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About 9,000 firefighters were deployed to fight the fires on the ground this summer.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Indonesian firefighters attempt to dampen the jungle blaze. Credit: Rebecca Wright\/CNN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Helicopters are bombing them from above.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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CNN boarded a Soviet-designed Mi-8 helicopter for a water-bombing mission near the epicenter of the fires over Central Kalimantan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Ukrainian pilot Ivan Kravchenko hovered his aircraft over the Kahayan River and scooped up 4,000 liters of water in a giant bucket hanging from a hole in the floor of the chopper. It was then dumped on the flames — a process repeated dozens of times during our flight.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Kravchenko is one of a team of specialist pilots, many of whom have been brought in from Kazakhstan and Ukraine, who fly up to three missions a day.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhole time dangerous,\u201d says Kravchenko. \u201cBecause it\u2019s all flight at low altitude and sometimes in bad visibility, so we need to be very careful.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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They can never be sure if the fire is out.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Fires smolder deep underground in thick layers of dead plant matter \u2013- peatlands — and can reignite almost as soon as they\u2019re extinguished.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWhen they start burning, it feels like a losing battle,\u201d says Alpius Patanan, head of the local emergency operations division.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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These fires were ignited by humans, but can only be put out by nature.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMy hope is rain will be coming faster, and rain hard,\u201d Krisyoyo says. \u201cHopefully our forest (will) still (be) standing, for the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the peak of the fires in September, the sky turned orange.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt was just like science fiction,\u201d says Dr Kevin Sutrapura from Palangkaraya Hospital, the main hospital in Central Kalimantan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s always like an orange filter, everything is orange \u2026 it was dark here, like 12 o\u2019clock in the afternoon, it feels like 5 p.m.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This summer, nearly 920,000 people were treated for acute respiratory problems caused by the fires, according to the Indonesia\u2019s disaster agency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cPeople were coming, panicking,\u201d says Sutrapura.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cWe decided to open an oxygen house, where people could start to use oxygen, in there we could screen which ones are the patients who need another type of advanced medical care.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Many of the people who needed treatment came from small villages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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An emergency worker douses his eyes with water to protect them from the thick haze. Credit: Rebecca Wright\/CNN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Palm oil may be exposing many in this developing country of 264 million people to severe health risks.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Yet it\u2019s also bringing wealth.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBefore I grew palm fruit, I couldn\u2019t afford to often feed chicken to my children,\u201d says Talan, an oil palm farmer from Berau, East Kalimantan. \u201c(Now) I can feed them different foods including chicken. I can also afford to buy appliances like a TV and a refrigerator.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Talan is one of the smallholders that make up around 40% of Indonesia\u2019s palm oil producers<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He farms two hectares of land with a total of 400 oil palm trees, which he harvests twice a month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He says he has quadrupled his monthly earnings to $400, compared to when he farmed rice or rubber a decade ago.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Village chief Surya Emi Susianthi says palm oil has transformed the entire community.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYears ago, many here did not have cars and their children did not go to school because they couldn\u2019t afford to pay school fees,\u201d Susianthi says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cBut after growing palm trees, they can buy cars, build good houses and put their children in school.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Borneo is home to one of the world\u2019s oldest rainforests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s a living, breathing natural history museum filled with 15,000 plants<\/a>, 420 types of bird and 222 mammals — many of them unique to Borneo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The known inhabitants include pygmy elephants, clouded leopards, sun bears, mouse deer, flying fox bats, pangolins, and most famous of all, the Bornean orangutan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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One of the closest genetic relatives to humans, these great apes share 97% of our DNA.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Orangutan even translates to \u2018man of the forest\u2019 in Indonesian.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOrangutans are incredible animals in many ways, they\u2019re very human-like,\u201d says Mark Harrison, a Co-Director for the Borneo Nature Foundation who studied orangutans for a PhD.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThey have very complicated social lives and they\u2019re really intelligent animals.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But these precious mammals are now one of the most critically endangered species on the planet.<\/p>\n<\/div>

Sources: Orangutan distribution: The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2019-2. www.iucnredlist.org. Downloaded Nov. 19, 2019. Deforestation: University of Maryland, Google, USGS and NASA analysis of satellite imagery; Global Forest Watch<\/figcaption>
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Popi arrived at the Center for Orangutan Protection (COP) when she was a few weeks old.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The charity, in Berau, East Kalimantan, is Indonesia\u2019s only orangutan rehabilitation center founded and run by local staff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Many of the rescued animals are victims of deforestation, including Popi.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cPopi is too lazy today. She just wants to play with the human,\u201d release handler Nursanti says, as she nudges the baby orangutan up a tree trunk in the forest.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Almost every day, the staff escort the orangutans into the jungle for what they term \u201cforest school,\u201d so they can learn how to climb trees, find food and make nests.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The aim is for successful pupils to graduate to \u201ccollege\u201d — COP\u2019s orangutan island on the nearby Kelay River.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Handler Nursanti carries a young orangutan. The Center for Orangutan Protection helps rescued animals learn vital life skills in the wild. Credit: Rebecca Wright\/CNN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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There, they are left alone, but regularly fed and monitored, and if they adapt well, they will eventually be released into the wild.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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CNN takes a trip to orangutan island on a long, narrow, motorized canoe.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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There, we find Michelle, an eight-year-old female who was released onto the island in May. She is not doing well.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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She lumbers towards our boat when we come near, and appears to want to interact with us. But orangutans don\u2019t like water, so she quickly edges away from the shoreline.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Later, we see her swinging in the trees. Her handlers say she usually spends too much time on the ground for an arboreal species, and she relies mostly on them to bring her food.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It\u2019s dangerous for orangutans to be too tame.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThe predator is not only the animal but also the human,\u201d Nursanti says. \u201cSometimes we try to make them afraid, then they can survive.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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“Last year we found an orangutan hit with 130 bullets,\u201d says COP Director Ramadhani, who goes by one name.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The orangutan was found by villagers in East Kutai, in East Kalimantan. It was taken for treatment to the Kutai National Park in nearby Bontang, but died of its injuries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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At the local district court, authorities say the four accused in the case were each found guilty and sentenced to seven months in prison and fines of 50 million rupiah (about US$ 3,500). But then the fine was replaced by two months in jail, making a total sentence of nine months each.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Some of the orangutans arrive with bullet wounds inflicted by farmers who see them as pests. Credit: Center for Orangutan Protection<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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In Indonesia, it\u2019s illegal to kill orangutans — punishable by up to five years in prison and a 100 million rupiah fine ($7,100). But Ramadhani says the penalties are too weak to act as a deterrent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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He says the orangutans\u2019 real enemy is palm oil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cPlease no more. Just stop it,\u201d Ramadhani says of the forest-clearing operations. \u201cI think it\u2019s enough palm oil in here.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cMy dream is in 20 years, I bring my daughter, (and) go to the forest,\u201d he says, his eyes welling up with tears. \u201cReal forest where they can eat fruit, they can see the animals, real animals, not in a zoo. I want my daughter to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A different sort of human threat to the orangutan habitat may also be on the horizon: the planned move of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta — the fastest-sinking city on earth, due to rising sea levels — to a largely unsettled part of Borneo in East Kalimantan.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The government says the development will not harm the environment, but campaigners are concerned.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cThere needs to be a very clear policy and implementation (on) how to reduce the impact of having that new capital,\u201d says Annisa Rahmawati, a forest campaigner for Greenpeace Indonesia. \u201cThere is a potential natural reserve in there, (which) will be destroyed and damaged.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Indonesia is in the midst of a modern-day gold rush.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In less than 20 years, the country\u2019s palm oil exports have surged almost 1,500% to $20.7 billion in 2017. It\u2019s now the country\u2019s number one export.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Indonesia supplies more than half<\/a> of the world\u2019s palm oil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Each of us is estimated to consume 17 pounds (8 kilograms) of it per year.<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Palm oil is used in around half of all products<\/a> found in supermarkets, including margarine, ice cream, pizza and soap. In parts of Africa and Asia, it is also widely used as a cooking oil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Palm oil production surged over the last 50 years as global demand grew, with farmers attracted to its high crop yields. Credit: CNN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Driving through the once pristine landscape of Indonesian Borneo, the devastation wrought by palm oil plantations begins to hit home.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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For hours, we pass by miles and miles of uniform rows of oil palms, and we\u2019re regularly overtaken by large trucks steaming past piled high with palm fruits, or carrying the crude oil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Palm oil originated in Africa and was brought to Indonesia and Malaysia during the colonial era.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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It has become known as a wonder crop for tropical climates, due to its versatility and high yield compared to other vegetable oils like soy, coconut or sunflower.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Increasingly, palm oil is being used for biofuels, driven by climate policies encouraging the use of planet-friendly alternatives to oil and gas.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But in reality, palm oil biodiesel emits three times more carbon emissions<\/a> than fossil fuel diesel, when you take into account its other environmental costs, according to the European Federation for Transport and the Environment, citing a 2016 Globiom study.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite this, many countries use palm oil biodiesel to count towards their targets under the Paris Climate Agreement.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Though bio-energy accounts for only a small percentage of palm oil use, its environmental impact is considered a growing risk. Credit: CNN<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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The EU has now started phasing out<\/a> this type of biofuel, until it becomes more sustainable and does not cause deforestation.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Indonesia plans to contest this ruling at the World Trade O<\/a>rganization.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The size and scale of the palm oil industry, and its impact on public health and the environment, is now causing alarm bells even among industry insiders.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s now way out of our control in Indonesia,\u201d says Tiur Rumondang, Indonesia Country Director for the Roundtable for Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). \u201cI think it\u2019s because we just let them grow organically, without a very clear plan.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The RSPO, a global sustainable certification body, was created in 2004 in response to growing criticism of the palm oil industry.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cOur goal is to transform the market, to make the sustainable palm oil a norm,\u201d Rumondang says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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A mountain of raw oil palm fruit awaits processing at a plantation. Credit: Tom Booth<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
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The RSPO prohibits its members from starting land clearance fires and from planting on peatlands, and monitors plantations using satellite technology.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Currently, the RSPO only represents a fifth of the industry in Indonesia, and often the non-certified companies flout the regulations, Rumondang says.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Despite the extent of this year\u2019s crisis, there is still no sense of urgency within the industry to make big changes, so the fires are likely to keep happening, she warns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The government is sending mixed messages.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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In September 2018, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, who is known as Jokowi, imposed a moratorium on new palm oil plantations using government land, and established a peatland restoration agency.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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