is now a huge problem, as most of the recent disasters such as mudslides and floods
happened and are happening with greater frequency due to deforestation. Geologist
Felix Tungkol, from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, has pointed to deforestation as the
possible, primary cause of the country’s devastating mudslide of April 2017 (John
2017). According to a new global forest map developed in partnership with Google,
Malaysia had the world’s highest rate of forest loss between 2000 and 2012 (See
Fig. 11.1). The total forest loss in Malaysia during that period amounted to 14.4% of
its year 2000 forest cover (Butler 2013). The loss translated to 47,278 square
kilometers (18,244 square miles), an area larger than Denmark (Butler 2013).
Although the EU itself is the world’s second-largest importer of palm oil and has
subsidized it since a long time already, the European Commission has officially
accused oil palm plantations of being the main culprit behind deforestation and
climate change (Transportenvironment.org 2019; Ellis-Petersen 2018), but
inconsistenly still continues to subsidize oil palm cultivation and the resulting
deforestation (Transportenvironment.org 2019); meanwhile Marcus Mojigoh, vicepresident of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and
Development (APPCED) admitted that palm oil plantations caused Sarawak natives
to be deprived from native lands on Borneo Island (Patrick 2017). Reports regarding
climate change and even the dangers of primate extinction in Malaysia led to a
possible ban of palm oil imports from Malaysia to the EU. Numerous campaigns that
inform consumers about the dangers of unsustainable deforestation surrounding
palm oil plantation activities have been put in the spotlight by major international
nonprofit charitable organizations such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) (BBC 2018). The independent campaigns focus on keeping consumers from eating products with palm oil as a main
ingredient, such as Nutella from Ferrero (which sources its palm oil from Malaysia),
claiming that besides the unsustainability of the industry, palm oil also results in bad
health outcomes like cancer, a claim that the company later denied, drawing on tests
by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board
(MPOB) (Sundram 2017). The EU ban itself may cause Malaysia to lose RM10 billion revenues from export activities, or 15% of its total exports (Patrick 2017).
Besides how Malaysia suffered in the area of international trade of palm oil, it also
endured several landslide disasters in recent years due to deforestation. As is known,
deforestation is the catalyst of erosion in lands with steep contours (slopes of more
than 20%); without vegetation (trees) to apply pressure, the area is prone to landslides (Abidin 2016). The Sabah (Borneo) mudslide in 2017 and the Sarawak
landslide in 2009 are actual cases of deforestation-caused landslides (John 2017;
Felsinger 2009). With disasters arising from the condition of the land, comes climate
change, which also figures into the picture of massive deforestation (UNFCC 2001).
Greenhouse gases from industrial activities cannot be absorbed adequately due to
deforestation, which leads to rising temperatures (Sinha and Swaminathan 1991). In
general, temperature increases may affect a community as air quality drops; and, as
the rainforest, which absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen, shrinks.
Although this issue cannot be directly measured in terms of monetary value, in the
long term, it will affect sustainability of any business that depends on the existence
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A. Omran and O. Schwarz-Herion
happened and are happening with greater frequency due to deforestation. Geologist
Felix Tungkol, from Universiti Malaysia Sabah, has pointed to deforestation as the
possible, primary cause of the country’s devastating mudslide of April 2017 (John
2017). According to a new global forest map developed in partnership with Google,
Malaysia had the world’s highest rate of forest loss between 2000 and 2012 (See
Fig. 11.1). The total forest loss in Malaysia during that period amounted to 14.4% of
its year 2000 forest cover (Butler 2013). The loss translated to 47,278 square
kilometers (18,244 square miles), an area larger than Denmark (Butler 2013).
Although the EU itself is the world’s second-largest importer of palm oil and has
subsidized it since a long time already, the European Commission has officially
accused oil palm plantations of being the main culprit behind deforestation and
climate change (Transportenvironment.org 2019; Ellis-Petersen 2018), but
inconsistenly still continues to subsidize oil palm cultivation and the resulting
deforestation (Transportenvironment.org 2019); meanwhile Marcus Mojigoh, vicepresident of the Asia-Pacific Parliamentarians’ Conference on Environment and
Development (APPCED) admitted that palm oil plantations caused Sarawak natives
to be deprived from native lands on Borneo Island (Patrick 2017). Reports regarding
climate change and even the dangers of primate extinction in Malaysia led to a
possible ban of palm oil imports from Malaysia to the EU. Numerous campaigns that
inform consumers about the dangers of unsustainable deforestation surrounding
palm oil plantation activities have been put in the spotlight by major international
nonprofit charitable organizations such as World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and People
for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) (BBC 2018). The independent campaigns focus on keeping consumers from eating products with palm oil as a main
ingredient, such as Nutella from Ferrero (which sources its palm oil from Malaysia),
claiming that besides the unsustainability of the industry, palm oil also results in bad
health outcomes like cancer, a claim that the company later denied, drawing on tests
by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) and by the Malaysian Palm Oil Board
(MPOB) (Sundram 2017). The EU ban itself may cause Malaysia to lose RM10 billion revenues from export activities, or 15% of its total exports (Patrick 2017).
Besides how Malaysia suffered in the area of international trade of palm oil, it also
endured several landslide disasters in recent years due to deforestation. As is known,
deforestation is the catalyst of erosion in lands with steep contours (slopes of more
than 20%); without vegetation (trees) to apply pressure, the area is prone to landslides (Abidin 2016). The Sabah (Borneo) mudslide in 2017 and the Sarawak
landslide in 2009 are actual cases of deforestation-caused landslides (John 2017;
Felsinger 2009). With disasters arising from the condition of the land, comes climate
change, which also figures into the picture of massive deforestation (UNFCC 2001).
Greenhouse gases from industrial activities cannot be absorbed adequately due to
deforestation, which leads to rising temperatures (Sinha and Swaminathan 1991). In
general, temperature increases may affect a community as air quality drops; and, as
the rainforest, which absorbs carbon dioxide and produces oxygen, shrinks.
Although this issue cannot be directly measured in terms of monetary value, in the
long term, it will affect sustainability of any business that depends on the existence
178
A. Omran and O. Schwarz-Herion