Why is palm oil bad for the environment, when it yields more oil per hectare than rival crops? Large plantations have cleared tropical rainforest, drained and burned carbon-rich peatland and pushed threatened species from their habitat. Untreated mill effluent can also pollute rivers, so how palm is grown matters most.
The palm oil I grew up with in Ntigha comes from family groves, not cleared rainforest.
Even so, I have seen real environmental harm around the palms at home. Bush burning near groves is one habit I warn against at every workshop.
Mill wastewater poured on the ground is another problem without a solution yet.
The far larger damage reported abroad comes from industrial expansion in Southeast Asia.
Here is why palm oil is bad for the environment where it is grown poorly.
It covers deforestation, peat fires, wildlife, water, soil and climate, with the evidence and fixes, and the environmental evidence on palm oil in full detail.
The full debate, including health and culture, is set out in the palm oil controversy, and worker issues in labor on palm estates.
Table of Contents
How Palm Oil Harms the Environment
Palm oil harms the environment mainly through how and where new plantations are established.
When companies or farmers clear natural forest to plant palms, they remove habitat and release stored carbon.
Draining peat swamps for palms releases far more carbon, and dried peat burns easily.
Mills then produce large volumes of wastewater that can pollute streams if left untreated.
Large monoculture estates also replace mixed forest and farm landscapes with a single crop.
None of this is unavoidable, because palms planted on old farmland with good practices cause far less harm. Ways to grow palm oil with less damage are set out in growing palm oil responsibly.
Environmental Impacts at a Glance
| Impact | Main cause | Where it is worst |
|---|---|---|
| Deforestation | Clearing natural forest for new plantations | Malaysia and Indonesia |
| Peat fires and emissions | Draining and burning peat swamps | Sumatra and Borneo |
| Wildlife loss | Habitat replaced by monoculture | Borneo and Sumatra |
| Water pollution | Untreated mill effluent and fertilizer runoff | Near mills everywhere |
| Soil damage | Bush burning, erosion and bare ground | Poorly managed farms |
| Expansion into Africa | New concessions and informal smallholder clearing | Central and West Africa |
Deforestation
Deforestation is the most serious environmental charge against palm oil, but its scale varies widely by region.
A 2020 review in Nature Plants by Meijaard and colleagues measured oil palm’s direct share of tropical deforestation by region. It ranged from 3 percent in West Africa to 47 percent in Malaysia.
The review said more than 90 percent of palm oil comes from forested regions of Borneo, Sumatra and the Malay Peninsula.
A 2022 PLOS One study summarized by Wageningen University found oil palm caused about one third of Indonesia’s old-growth forest loss over two decades.
It also found that clearing of primary forest for palms fell sharply after 2012.
That 3 percent figure for West Africa helps explain why villagers rarely link palm oil with forest loss, since most palms in Ntigha grow in long-established groves.
Peat Drainage and Fires
Peat swamps store huge amounts of carbon in waterlogged soil built up over thousands of years.
Draining them for plantations dries the peat, which then decays or burns.
A 2016 study in Scientific Reports, described by CIFOR, measured the 2015 fires in Southeast Asia.
They released about 884 million tonnes of carbon dioxide, with roughly 97 percent from Indonesia.
At their peak in September and October 2015, the fires emitted 11.3 million tonnes of carbon dioxide a day.
That was more than the European Union’s daily emissions of 8.9 million tonnes.
The researchers said the 2015 fires mostly burned on degraded peatland covered with shrubs.
Smoke haze from such fires has closed schools and airports across the region.
How a warming climate affects palm farms in turn is covered in the climate risks palm farms face.
Wildlife and Biodiversity Loss
Replacing rainforest with palm monoculture removes the food, shelter and travel routes many species need.
A 2018 IUCN report on oil palm and biodiversity found palm expansion affects 193 species listed as threatened. Orangutans, gibbons and tigers are among the species the report named as harmed most.
Plantations hold far fewer species of plants and animals than the forests they replace.
Corridors of natural forest along rivers and conservation set-asides help some wildlife survive within palm landscapes.
The same IUCN report warned that replacing palm with other oil crops could need up to nine times as much land. That would push wildlife loss to other regions and crops rather than stop it.
Water Pollution
Palm mills release large volumes of wastewater known as palm oil mill effluent, or POME. Raw POME uses up the oxygen in streams and can kill fish.
In Ntigha, there is no proper use for this wastewater, so most of it is poured on weedy compound ground. That keeps it away from streams, though it still crusts and damages the soil.
How mills treat effluent and capture biogas is set out in how mills treat their wastewater. Fertilizer washing off plantations into nearby rivers adds further nutrient pollution to the water.
Soil Damage and Bush Burning
Bush burning is one of the most damaging habits near palm groves in my area. Fire dries the soil, kills ground cover and can scorch or kill the palms themselves.
The community workshops I run in Ntigha warn grove owners against burning at every session. Clearing by hand and leaving cut material to rot protects both soil and palms.
- Stack pruned fronds. Fronds laid between rows protect soil and return nutrients, as covered in stacking pruned palm fronds.
- Spread empty bunches. Bunch mulch feeds the soil instead of being burned, as set out in empty bunches as soil mulch.
- Plant cover crops. Legumes protect bare soil on new farms and fix nitrogen.
- Avoid steep slopes. Terraces or contour planting reduce erosion on hilly land.
Bush burning and other farm problems are weighed together in the problems palm farmers face.
Palm Expansion in Africa
Africa is the next frontier for palm expansion, and the risks are real even if past losses were small.
A 2019 Nature Communications study led by Elsa Ordway, summarized by Stanford University, examined palm expansion in Southwest Cameroon. It found most expansion and forest clearing happened outside large company concessions.
Smallholder clearing was more likely near low-yielding informal mills, the Stanford summary said. Better mills and higher yields on existing farms could reduce pressure on forests.
Large concessions in Nigeria have also faced criticism over forest reserve land. New farms should use old farmland or degraded land, as covered in choosing land for a new farm.
Is Palm Oil Worse Than Other Oils?
Palm oil’s environmental record looks different when compared with the crops that would replace it.
| Comparison | What the research says |
|---|---|
| Share of world vegetable oil | About 40 percent, according to Meijaard and colleagues |
| Share of oil crop land | Under 5 to 5.5 percent of about 425 million hectares |
| Land needed by rival crops | Up to nine times more for the same oil, says the IUCN |
| Demand growth | World vegetable oil demand projected to rise 46 percent by 2050 |
The 2020 review said research on the impacts of other oil crops is limited. Fair comparisons need more study before any oil can be called best.
How the Damage Can Be Reduced
- No new forest clearing. Plant on old farmland or degraded land only.
- Protect peat. Stop draining peat swamps and rewet or restore the damaged ones.
- Raise yields. Better seed and care on existing farms reduce the need for new land.
- Treat mill effluent. Capture methane and keep raw POME out of rivers.
- End bush burning. Clear land by hand and mulch with cut material instead of using fire.
- Certify and trace. Buy from growers whose supply chains are checked.
What certification requires of growers is set out in RSPO rules for growers and mills.
Conclusion
So why is palm oil bad for the environment in the first place? The main reason is that industrial plantations cleared rainforest, drained peat and burned it, pushing 193 threatened species from their habitat.
The 2015 fires alone released 884 million tonnes of carbon dioxide in Southeast Asia.
Yet oil palm caused only about 3 percent of deforestation in West Africa, and it yields more oil per hectare than rival crops.
In Ntigha, the real harms I see are bush burning and untreated mill wastewater. Choose palm oil from farms that avoid forest clearing, burning and pollution.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is palm oil bad for the environment?
Palm oil harms the environment when plantations clear rainforest, drain peat swamps and release untreated effluent. These practices destroy wildlife habitats, release stored carbon and pollute local rivers.
Does palm oil cause deforestation in Africa?
A 2020 review put oil palm’s direct share of West African deforestation at about 3 percent. Expansion in Cameroon has still cleared some forest, mostly outside company concessions.
How do palm oil plantations affect wildlife?
A 2018 IUCN report found palm expansion affects 193 threatened species, including orangutans, gibbons and tigers. Palm plantations hold far fewer species than the natural rainforests they replace.
Is palm oil worse for the environment than other oils?
Palm yields more oil per hectare while rival crops need up to nine times more land. Its harm depends mostly on where and how the palms are grown.
Chimeremeze Emeh is a tropical crop farmer and chemical engineer from Ntigha, Isiala Ngwa North LGA, Abia State, Eastern Nigeria, specializing in palm oil and cassava, with over 30 years of hands-on experience growing, harvesting, and processing red palm oil. He runs community engagement workshops for rural farmers in Ntigha focused on palm tree care, and operates Palm Oil Pathway as a registered agribusiness and sells red palm oil in 1L, 2L, 3L, and 25L packaging. Built around red palm oil production. He is also the founder of Cassava Pathway, a CAMA-registered agribusiness founded in 2024, where he applies the same tropical farming expertise to cassava flour and starch production.