The Benefits of Palm Trees to Sustainability
The concept of sustainability has gained the global community's attention in recent years due to the concern over natural resources' finite nature. In a sustainable environment, the available resources meet the present generation's needs without compromising the future. Palm trees contribute to sustainability in the economic and environmental aspects. The former refers to practices that promote long-term economic growth without compromising other aspects of life, such as social welfare. On the other hand, environmental sustainability describes the practices or actions that ensure the utility of natural resources presently and in the future. Palm trees contribute to environmental and economic sustainability since they produce raw materials for sustainable energy and provide financial sustenance. However, there are concerns that palm trees do not contribute to sustainability since they can leave undesirable ecological footprints; the effect is negative economic and environmental sustainability. With effective waste management measures, palm trees can economically empower communities while sustainably solving the world energy crisis.
Palm trees have the capacity to develop the national economy through the manufacture and sale of products such as palm oil. Countries such as Indonesia and Malaysia have greatly benefited from the sale of palm oil. In 2014, for example, palm oil export in Indonesia was valued at 17% of the agricultural gross domestic product (Purnomo et al., 2020). Palm trees also contribute to economic sustainability through job creation. State-owned companies and private businesses that deal with palm oil harvesting and sale employ people, raising employment rates on the countries. The government also earns revenue from selling products such as palm oil; the revenue is then allocated to public goods such as transport infrastructure. The economic impact that palm trees have on society can be considered sustainable due to the long-term orientation.
Palm trees provide raw materials for biodiesel, which helps control environmental degradation that greenhouse gases cause. Biodiesel made from palm oil is preferable due to high heating value and kinematic viscosity that enhances its efficiency in operating engines. Compared to waste cooking oil (WCO) biodiesel, palm-biodiesel emits the lowest amount of Nitrogen Oxides and other greenhouse gases. Palm oil is sustainable since palm trees have the highest oil yield per hectare compared to other vegetable oils. Palm oil also increases the fossil energy savings. In addition to the production of biodiesel, palm trees are considered better carbon sinks compared to rainforests. A hectare of palm trees can assimilate about 64 tonnes of carbon, while a similar rainforest size absorbs about 42.2 tonnes (Zahan & Kano, 2018). However, there concerns about the effect that palm trees have on environmental degradation. Research reveals that palm oil extraction can cause environmental degradation due to poor waste disposal (Silalertruksa & Gheewala, 2012). Moreover, palm oil harvesting leads to deforestation, which negatively impacts environmental sustainability. However, the benefits that palm trees provide to the environment outweigh the costs. Improving waste management strategies is among the ways that can counter the cost of palm trees on sustainability.
Palm trees contribute to sustainability from economic and environmental perspectives. The amount of revenue that countries and individuals earn from palm trees helps in economic development. The trees also contribute to ecological sustainability through means such as acting as carbon sinks and the provision of raw materials for biodiesel. However, there is a need for improved waste management for optimal benefit from the trees.
References
Purnomo, H., Okarda, B., Dermawan, A., Ilham, Q. P., Pacheco, P., Nurfatriani, F., & Suhendang, E. (2020). Reconciling oil palm economic development and environmental conservation in Indonesia: A value chain dynamic approach. Forest Policy and Economics, 111, 102089.
Silalertruksa, T., & Gheewala, S. H. (2012). Environmental sustainability assessment of palm biodiesel production in Thailand. Energy, 43(1), 306-314.
Zahan, K. A., & Kano, M. (2018). Biodiesel production from palm oil, its by-products, and mill effluent: a review. Energies, 11(8), 2132.