As I understand it, the downside is that indigenous farmers mow down and/or burn local forests to plant the oil palms, destroying the areas biodiversity. Native animals that are used to living alongside a plethora of local plants suddenly have acres of trees that do not benefit them at all.
Correct me if I’m wrong. It seems like oil palms are the best for human farmers, not the environment.
Palm oil is one of the best oils for the environment if you’re growing it sustainably.
Whatever ‘sustainably’ is, it sure sounds expensive
As I understand it, the downside is that indigenous farmers mow down and/or burn local forests to plant the oil palms, destroying the areas biodiversity. Native animals that are used to living alongside a plethora of local plants suddenly have acres of trees that do not benefit them at all.
Correct me if I’m wrong. It seems like oil palms are the best for human farmers, not the environment.
It’s best for the environment, period. It has good properties and you can grow a ton of in a given area.
The only better alternative would be to actually lower oil consumption, but that isn’t going to happen.