Palm Oil Crisis And The Role Of Chester Zoo

In case you didn’t know we are in the midst of a worldwide palm oil crisis at the moment. Yes, that’s correct, a worldwide crisis. So, you may be thinking, how does Chester Zoo appear in the title of an article about a palm oil crisis you may ask?

Before I go on to Chester Zoo’s involvement, let me briefly explain what the palm oil crisis is all about. Have a read of this.

Palm Oil Crisis

In short what the palm oil crisis means is the demand for palm oil is causing the destruction of rainforests. In slightly more detail, it is well known that the increased demand for palm oil is fueling the destruction of the rainforest where Sumatran and Bornean orangutans live.

It has been estimated that if something isn’t done soon to stop the spread of non-sustainable palm oil plantations, orangutans and many other endangered species will go extinct. Species such as rhinos, elephants and tigers for instance.

Palm Oil Crisis – What Is It And What Is It Used For?

Palm oil is basically a type of vegetable oil, like sunflower or rapeseed oil. Some experts say palm oil is the best kind of vegetable oil to make. Its uses are very extensive as well. Roughly speaking, palm oil is in close to half of the products we buy in the supermarkets. Products such as shampoos and soaps, to pizzas and biscuits. It is everywhere.

Palm Oil Crisis – The Price We Pay To Produce It

So, we can see what palm oil is and what it is used for. But why is its production so harmful to the environment?

Environmentalists have told us that the farming of oil palm trees is very bad for the planet. More specifically, the production of palm oil is said to have been responsible for about 8% of the world’s deforestation between 1990 and 2008. And what is deforestation?

Deforestation Explained

Deforestation is when trees and forests are cut down so that the land that has been cleared can be used for something else.

So, what happens is that forests are burned to clear areas where people can grow oil palms. This happens even if it is illegal.

The burning of forests enables land to be cleared for oil palm. This burning process releases high levels of carbon dioxide and black carbon (soot) into the atmosphere. In turn this leads to climate change. And a climate change of this nature is a negative climate change.

An example of how burning forests like this can impact the environment was reported back in 2013. Singapore experienced extreme air pollution in the June of that year. Burning forests resulted in a thick haze that covered the city. Children had to stay inside to protect themselves from the unclean air.

It just shows how powerful and damaging burning forests can be.

Not surprisingly, burning forests like this destroys the places where plants and wildlife live, meaning the area has less biodiversity.

In summary, the destruction of forests has repercussions way beyond many of us could imagine.

So, we now know what palm oil is, what it is used for and the damage obtaining it causes. Clearly there is a problem to solve so how does Chester Zoo fit in with regard to the palm oil crisis we are all facing?

This explains it.

The Role Of Chester Zoo

In order to tackle this worldwide crisis it is necessary for scientists to find solutions. Step forward Dr Simon Dowell from our very own worldwide famous tourist attraction, Chester Zoo.

We are all so very proud of our famous Zoo here in Chester. Their work in spearheading a worldwide campaign to help solve the problem is another massive achievement to add to the ever growing list of achievements.

Earlier this year the work carried out by Chester Zoo saw Chester being named the world’s first “Sustainable Palm Oil City“. Following on from this prestigious accolade Dr Simon Dowell has been invited to Brussels to advise politicians from all over Europe on how best to tackle this worldwide palm oil crisis.

Again, we are proud to say, Chester Zoo is a world leading expert on this particular subject. The Zoo was invited to appear before the EU Natural Resources Commission to discuss ways in which to seize the opportunity to produce sustainable palm oil and to halt deforestation.

The success of Chester Zoo’s campaign may well now see it scaled up and utilised across EU member states.

Sustainable Palm Oil City – It’s Just The Start

When the city of Chester united to become the world’s first Sustainable Palm Oil City, Dr Dowell recognised that this was only the start. Chester’s campaign has been a huge assistance for businesses in changing their mindset. Now, more and more businesses are looking for their suppliers to switch to sustainable ingredients.

Achieving this is a huge step forward in the ongoing campaign. As more and more suppliers comply and, in turn, they also pass the message on, there is a momentum gathering.

For their part, Chester Zoo will continue to influence governments and businesses. It is their aim to help the UK achieve a target of having a 100% sustainable supply chain for the use of palm oil by the end of 2020.

A huge “well done” to Chester Zoo and everyone else involved. And a big thank you as well of course. Keep up the fantastic work folks. I think we can take that last statement as read. We are so lucky to have such a world renowned organisation here in our midst in our beautiful city.

To assist Chester Zoo in their efforts, decision makers and leaders from other towns and cities from across the world are invited to join the Sustainable Palm Oil City movement. For more details head on over to HERE.

With Chester Zoo at the forefront we can be sure that all efforts possible will be made to help solve the worldwide palm oil crisis.

Chester Zoo Articles

Regular visitors to my website will know I love Chester Zoo. And to reflect this I have written a fair few posts on our world famous landmark. You can see all my other Chester Zoo posts HERE.

I have also dedicated a page to Chester Zoo as well. You will find the page HERE. So if you are looking for opening times, directions etc, have a look at my Chester Zoo page.

What can you do to help? Have a look at this Sustainable Palm Oil shopping list. This will help in a big way.

Thanks for reading.

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