It’s been another week of unhealthy air for many residents of Southeast Asia. The culprit is haze—coming from fires burning in Indonesia. A related factor coming under closer examination: palm oil. HPR’s Bill Dorman explains in today’s Asia Minute.
Palm oil plantations have become so widespread across Indonesia that they now cover an area the size of Iceland. That calculation was done by Reuters—which also reports a rising demand for sustainable palm oil. That means sourcing from plantations that do not clear land by burning forests, and that maintain other standards.
The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil found that no recent fire alerts have come from palm oil plantations the group has certified - while more than 600 have come from plantations not certified as sustainable.
Palm oil is a versatile product. It’s used in everything from cooking oil to shampoo and ice cream. Singapore and Malaysia have complained that the government of Indonesia hasn’t done enough to stop illegal burning on palm oil plantations.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo says his country needs more time to deal with the issue. His vice president showed little patience for neighboring countries—telling reporters in Jakarta: “For 11 months they enjoyed nice air from Indonesia and they never thanked us. They have suffered because of the haze for one month and they get upset.” That reaction sparked some withering sarcasm at a satirical website, “Thank you Indo for the clean air dot com.”
