IPCC Report Timely for Malaysian Palm Oil

• The much-anticipated climate report from the IPCC is expected to ratchet up pressure on world leaders to end the use of fossil fuels.

• The Secretary-General of the United Nations called the report a code red for humanity.

The news went viral with opinions from experts of all stripes and colors weighing in on the report. A better-informed coverage of the report was published by The Guardian under “IPCC report’s verdict on climate crimes of humanity: guilty as hell.”

António Guterres, the UN secretary-general was quoted as saying :

“This report must sound a death knell for coal and fossil fuels, before they destroy our planet. If we combine forces now, we can avert climate catastrophe. But, as the report makes clear, there is no time for delay and no room for excuses.”

The thing is, there is no doubt that decarbonisation is critical to the success of climate change efforts. According to Alok Sharma, the UK minister who will preside over the Cop26 UN climate summit in Glasgow this November, the world’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases must produce clear plans to cut their carbon output drastically.

This is not a new demand. At the 18th United Nations climate change conference, then U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told reporters that the developed world should bear most of the responsibility for fighting global warming

“Rich countries are to blame for climate change and should take the lead in forging a global climate pact by 2015, a deadline that must be met."

Ban's comments echoed the concerns of China and other developing countries, which say rich nations have a historical responsibility for global warming because their economies released carbon emissions into the atmosphere long before the climate effects were known.

Biofuels an Essential Solution for Climate Change

Early reports on biofuels have long established that biofuels can help solve climate change. A report from the previous IPCC report had indicated that “in 2050, biofuels will still be as important as electromobility in the displacement of carbon-emitting fossil fuels.”

The US as a major producer of oilseeds is backing up its commitment to the Paris Agreement with biofuels as a “significant solution.” 

Malaysia as the second-largest producer of palm oil globally has a similar advantage in having a sustainable feedstock for biofuels.

Research and development as led by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board since the early 1980’s have come up with solid evidence that the palm oil industry is a reliable source of sustainable energy. Detailed information on the history and sustainability of Malaysian palm-based biodiesel can be accessed here. 

Beyond the cleaner emissions of palm-based biodiesel, the Malaysian government has invested heavily into research to reduce associated emissions from sources like palm oil mill effluents (POME). One of the earlier solutions was biogas capture and utilisation which can be read in full here. While this addressed the issue of emissions, it took different technologies to address the question of solid biomass which all agri-industries are faced with. Some of the solutions can be read in this report “Bio-based products from palm oil mill effluent.”

Initiatives like these show that the Malaysian palm oil industry was actively practicing the principles behind circular economies long before it became popular with other industries. Every aspect of the oil palm tree is a potential source of biomass from the tree trunks to the fronds to the empty fruit bunches and palm kernel shells. The latest example of this is how Palm Kernel Shells, a solid waste that once was an organic waste has become a source of energy in charcoal briquettes for energy and a means of cleaning wastewaters from palm oil mills. 

But what About Deforestation for Palm Oil?

That is an accusation that is common against palm oil. A simple internet search using only the keywords “palm oil” will show what we mean. This is unfortunate for Malaysian palm oil as the accusations fail to recognise what the government has done to make the industry sustainable. Malaysia has gone over and above other agricultural commodities in ensuring the sustainability of Malaysian palm oil.

Fictions will always be more popular than facts but the undeniable truth on Malaysian palm oil and deforestation is best said in this study on palm oil biodiesel and GHG emissions savings. We quote the study in full with hyperlinks.

“There is some evidence that a considerable share of the oil palm expansion has and is taking place on land released from other crops (Corley and Tinker 2003; Henson 2004; Teoh 2000). In the past, oil palm in Malaysia has largely been planted on land released from rubber, coconut and cocoa (Henson 2004). This could be confirmed with data obtained from FAOSTAT (2006) for Malaysia where the planted area of rubber, cocoa and coconuts has been decreasing from around the year 1990 to the year 2005 while the planted area of oil palm has been increasing at the same rate during the same period of time.”

Critics of the palm oil industry may find that unpalatable and continue to question the evidence. For those of us in the Malaysian industry, we find comfort in Mark Twain’s words “If you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.”

As for concerns about future deforestation should the global demand for palm-based biofuels increases, that was one of the reasons for the conversion of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil scheme from a voluntary model to one that is mandated by law. Only national schemes like the MSPO can ensure the sustainability of a commodity.

The commitment of the new Minister in charge of Plantation Industries and Commodities (MPIC) Minister Datuk Zuraida Kamaruddin towards a circular economy is firm evidence of the country’s commitment towards addressing global issues.