Greenpeace asks Indian Industry not to use 'dirty palm oil'

Says Indonesian moratorium on new concessions for forest destruction not enough

While asking Indian Industry to desist from using ‘dirty palm oil’, Greenpeace today said the deal announced in Oslo to protect Indonesia’s rainforests, home to some of the last remaining orangutans, falls much short of protecting millions of hectares of ancient forest land in the South East Asian nation.

Even as Greenpeace welcomed the seven wealthy nations yesterday announcing in Oslo that they will provide USD 4 billion to help avert runaway climate change by preventing deforestation (1), the international NGO said that critical questions remain unanswered.

Deforestation is responsible for up to a fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions. Deforestation and peat destruction have made Indonesia the world’s third largest emitter of Greenhouse Gases. The expansion of the palm oil, pulp and paper and mining industries into forest areas are the main drivers of this deforestation.

India was the world’s largest importer of palm oil in 2009, and according to projections, Indian consumption is set to grow further. Greenpeace is calling on Indian companies to ensure that they do not utilise palm oil linked to deforestation and peat destruction.

“Indian industry must send a clear signal that it does not want to be associated with dirty palm oil or other products that are linked to deforestation,” said Ashish Fernandes from Greenpeace India.

“Even as we try to protect our own forest cover in India, we must not be responsible for driving deforestation in Indonesia,” he asserted.

Greenpeace considers Indonesian President Yudhoyono's announcement of a two year moratorium on issuing new concessions for forest and peatland destruction to be a first step towards Indonesia meeting its greenhouse gas emission reduction targets of 41%. However, deforestation will continue unabated unless the moratorium is extended to cover existing permits, not just new ones, and is put into action with immediate effect.

“Indonesia has taken a step in the right direction but the millions of hectares of our country's forests and carbon rich peatlands that have already been allocated for destruction must be included in this moratorium for it to have any real and positive impact on the ground. This step must also be turned into a Presidential Decree with immediate effect,” said Yuyun Indradi, Political Advisor Greenpeace Southeast Asia.

One company alone, the Sinar Mas Group, already has around a million hectares earmarked for future development. Under this new announcement Sinar Mas will still be free to clear forest and peatland to make way for its palm oil and pulp and paper plantations. A Greenpeace report published earlier this year detailed how Sinar Mas is destroying the Indonesian rainforest and, by doing so, is causing more climate changing emissions.