Norway bans biofuel from palm oil to fight deforestation
Palm oil is used in virtually anything, from
food to make-up industry, and the rapid expansion of palm plantations comes at
the expense of tropical ecosystems, native populations, land degradation and
carbon emissions.
While Norway is famous all over the world as the
place to enjoy the Northern Aurora lights from, and as the Land of the Midnight
Sun, owing to a few months of the year where the sun doesn’t set in a few
places, it is currently making headlines for all the right reasons.
The Scandinavian country, peaceful, developed,
aware and safe like most of its neighbours is taking giant strides for the
protection of the planet. In its latest bid to fight deforestation, it isplanning to ban biofuel.
After coming down hard on deforestation in 2016
by banning it and most products that led to it, the country has funded multiple
initiatives around the world to counter deforestation. The pledge to not use
any product that led to deforestation was recommended as a part of the Action
Plan on nature Diversity by their parliament’s Standing Committee on Energy and
Environment.
Other countries should follow Norway and adopt
commitments for zero deforestation, especially Germany and the UK, as they had
joined it in pledging at the 2014 UN climate summit to encourage deforestation-free
products.
The action against palm oil is particularly
harsh as it contributes a lot to deforestation. Tropical forests in countries
like Indonesia, Malaysia, Paraguay, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Papua New
Guinea are cut down for its production, increasing carbon emissions each year.
These countries produce more than 80% of the world’s palm oil. The EU countries
and EU-Free Trade Associate (EFTA) countries receive more than 12% of the palm
oil exports from Malaysia, and a substantial portion of this is used as a
substitute for crude oil for producing biofuel.
The Norwegian parliament voted, in December
2018, for a ban on biofuels based on palm oils. The government will start
imposing taxes and making new policies to exclude biofuels related to
deforestation from 2020.
The Norwegian market is very small, accounting
for less than 1% of the total exports of palm oil. It has, however, set an
example towards deforestation combatting policies based on the commercial
markets. The entire European Union has agreed to ban palm oil’s use in motor
fuels from 2021. If the other countries follow suit, we may have a chance of
seeing a greener earth.
Norway bans biofuel from palm oil to fight deforestation
Reviewed by Joe
on
May 27, 2019
Rating:

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