The Politics of Fires and Haze in Southeast Asia

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Varkkey
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Environmental Politics ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Fire Use ◽  
Haze Pollution ◽  
Oil Sector ◽  
National Boundaries

Transboundary haze pollution affects about half of the countries in Southeast Asia with varied intensities on an almost annual basis. Haze not only affects visibility, but also causes widespread health problems, transportation disruptions, and other socioeconomic issues. This haze, and the fires that cause it, has been a key topic for environmental politics research in the region since the late 1990s. This has largely been driven by one overarching objective: how to prevent haze from returning in the following years. However, conditions on the ground (mostly in Indonesia and in the larger Southeast Asian region) have been changing and evolving drastically. This has resulted in a very dynamic research agenda that has to keep up with these changes. Within the context of environmental politics, fires and haze can be viewed through the broad lens of national interest. There is a strong link between the severity of haze and the burgeoning agribusiness sector in the region: that of oil palm in particular. Oil palm is a very important crop in the region, with Indonesia and Malaysia making up almost 90% of total global palm oil output. Hence, national and business interest theories have often been used as a framework for research in this area, with commercial oil palm plantations often being the unit of analysis. This includes research by this author, using the patronage politics framework. However, this has been called to question lately as these plantations face increasing market pressure to act more sustainably. A new group of actors that have since been highlighted are smallholders, either independent or in contract with larger plantations. There is potentially much to be uncovered with regard to the relationships between smallholders and commercial plantations, and how this affects patterns of fire use and global sustainability issues. Related to this is the ever-evolving collection of local, regional, and national policies (and related enforcement issues) over land and fire use in Indonesia. One key area of contention is the use of peatlands. Fires on peat produce the thick, sooty smoke that travels across national boundaries, and are notoriously hard to put out. Political research in this area is heavily framed by a tough debate between the scientific community and socioeconomic concerns. While peatlands play an important role in the global climate change balance, at the same time, these peat areas face immense pressure for development fueled by the scarcity of land. The regional context has also been an important theme for haze research. Haze primarily affects the Southern Southeast Asian subregion. And the major players of the palm oil sector also come from this region. The Indonesian palm oil sector is a vibrant combination of Malaysian, Singaporean, and local companies. And ASEAN has been the hub of cooperation and mitigation activities over haze. Hence, many scholars have searched for answers at the regional level. However, new national developments like Singapore’s Transboundary Haze Pollution Act suggest that countries may be losing confidence with regional efforts, which may be an indicator for future directions for solutions as well.

scholarly journals The transformation of the global palm oil cluster: dynamics of cluster competition between Africa and Southeast Asia (c.1900–1970)

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 374-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Giacomin
Keyword(s):  
Twentieth Century ◽  
Communities Of Practice ◽  
Southeast Asia ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Foreign Investment ◽  
Knowledge Exchange ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Cooperation And Competition ◽  
Knowledge And Practice

AbstractThis article explains the rise of palm oil as a global commodity during the twentieth century as the result of cooperation and competition between two different clusters in former colonial territories. The connection between these two locations was mediated by Western companies, colonial officials, scientists, and businessmen. Eventually, the Southeast Asian cluster, organized on estate lines inherited from rubber, outcompeted the old one in Africa, mostly based on the farming of semi-wild trees. The article investigates the activities of scientists and businessmen exchanging information, knowledge, and practice between Africa and Asia for almost a century. It shows that cooperation among communities of practice helped to advance palm oil knowledge, but also created increased rivalry between the two locations. Thanks to the mobility of experts, and to knowledge exchange in colonial and early postcolonial times, multinationals were able to replicate clusters across locations with similar climate, taking advantage of a business environment more conducive to foreign investment.

scholarly journals The Unavoidable Palm Oil Can Be Sustainable

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 29-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
GH YUE ◽  
Baoqing Ye ◽  
Antonius A Suwanto
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Oil Sector ◽  
On Farm

The oil palm is the most productive oil-producing crop. To yield the same volume of oil that is from one hectare of palm, eight hectares of soybean are needed. Palm oil is used an ingredient in over 50% of packaged supermarket products and also as biofuels. The palm oil sector provides over 4.5 million jobs for on-farm laborers in developing countries. However, palm oil is often blamed for deforestation and loss of biodiversity. We argue that palm oil sustainability is not only about the environment and biodiversity but also about people and their prosperity. Palm oil sustainability can be achieved with joint efforts from palm oil players including the smallholders, plantation companies, governments, certification agencies, consumers and researchers.

scholarly journals A Review of Southeast Asian Oil Palm and Its CO2 Fluxes

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (12) ◽  
pp. 5077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Royston Uning ◽  
Mohd Talib Latif ◽  
Murnira Othman ◽  
Liew Juneng ◽  
Norfazrin Mohd Hanif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Southeast Asian ◽  
Co2 Fluxes ◽  
Asian Countries ◽  
Peat Swamp ◽  
Oil Palm Industry ◽  
Southeast Asian Countries

Palm oil production is a key industry in tropical regions, driven by the demand for affordable vegetable oil. Palm oil production has been increasing by 9% every year, mostly due to expanding biofuel markets. However, the oil palm industry has been associated with key environmental issues, such as deforestation, peatland exploitation and biomass burning that release carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere, leading to climate change. This review therefore aims to discuss the characteristics of oil palm plantations and their impacts, especially CO2 emissions in the Southeast Asian region. The tropical climate and soil in Southeast Asian countries, such as Malaysia and Indonesia, are very suitable for growing oil palm trees. However, due to the scarcity of available plantation areas deforestation occurs, especially in peat swamp areas. Total carbon losses from both biomass and peat due to the conversion of tropical virgin peat swamp forest into oil palm plantations are estimated to be around 427.2 ± 90.7 t C ha−1 and 17.1 ± 3.6 t C ha−1 year−1, respectively. Even though measured CO2 fluxes have shown that overall, oil palm plantation CO2 emissions are about one to two times higher than other major crops, the ability of oil palms to absorb CO2 (a net of 64 tons of CO2 per hectare each year) and produce around 18 tons of oxygen per hectare per year is one of the main advantages of this crop. Since the oil palm industry plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of Southeast Asian countries, sustainable and environmentally friendly practices would provide economic benefits while minimizing environmental impacts. A comprehensive review of all existing oil plantation procedures is needed to ensure that this high yielding crop has highly competitive environmental benefits.

scholarly journals Kontribusi Produksi Cellular Lightweight Concrete Serat Limbah Pelepah Kelapa Ssawit Terhadap Emisi CO2

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 104
Author(s):  
Zainuri Zainuri ◽  
Sujianto Sujianto ◽  
Adrianto Ahmad ◽  
Feliatra Feliatra
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Experimental Approach ◽  
Lightweight Concrete ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Palm Fruit ◽  
Reduction Of Co2 ◽  
Palm Fronds ◽  
By Products

The vast palm oil plantations in Riau province which are 2,430,500 hectares (BPS Indonesia, 2017) have great potential as a provider of CPO (Crude Palm Oil) and other by-products and include waste. The midrib is always lowered along with the decrease in oil palm fruit bunches at harvest. Handling of waste from the midrib is only by stacking it in the field and letting it dry and self-destruct. Oil palm midribs are still a problem today because they can affect the global climate with greenhouse gas emissions. Carbon emissions can still be minimized by utilizing oil palm midribs. This study aims to measure the reduction of CO2 emissions as an added ingredient in the production of fiber CLC. Presentation of research results using descriptive methods. Research conducted in laboratories with an experimental approach is quantitative. The findings of this study are that the use of oil palm fronds as an added ingredient in producing CLC of solar and electric fuel fibers by 1 m3 can reduce CO2 emissions. The conclusion of this study is that CO2 emissions that can be reduced in the manufacture of 1 m3 of fiber CLC using diesel fuel is 111,582 tons/year and when using an electrically driven engine the CO2 emissions that can be reduced are 120.887 tons/year.

scholarly journals Towards extra-jurisdictional environmental management in combating transnational environmental crimes in Malaysia from a legal aspect

2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (2.10) ◽  
pp. 26
Author(s):  
Hanim Kamaruddin ◽  
Muhamad Azham Marwan
Keyword(s):  
Southeast Asia ◽  
International Law ◽  
Legal Aspect ◽  
Environmental Crime ◽  
Management Tool ◽  
Haze Pollution ◽  
Illegal Activities ◽  
National Boundaries ◽  
Ozone Depleting Substances ◽  
Environmental Crimes

Environmental deterioration in Southeast Asia region can be attributed to illegal logging and timber smuggling which contributes to deforestation, wildlife smuggling, black-market transactions in ozone-depleting substances and dumping of other forms of hazardous wastes and chemical, illegal open burning incidents that can lead to air pollution contributing to transnational impacts. Controlling activities that are taking place within one State resulting to environmental impacts in another State is not uncommon in environmental issues and thus, such activities are construed as environmental crimes at times. Hence, any illegal activities within another jurisdiction must be addressed efficiently as the conduct of such activities are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex partly due to the nature of transnational activities that operate beyond national boundaries. This article will discuss transnational environmental crime in Malaysia and Southeast Asia region and assess the application of adopting extra-jurisdictional approach to combat transnational environmental crime by drawing the example from Singapore’s experience of passing the Transboundary Haze Pollution Act 2014 to tackle challenges of haze pollution that are caused by activities in another State. The finding of this article suggests that extra-jurisdictional legislation is a common management tool in international law based on the international principle of territorial sovereign applies to conduct of a State within its territory. There seemed to be an exception that stems from a principle known as ‘objective territoriality principle’ under international law that allows another State to make claims against another State that commits environmental crime resulting to transnational impacts. The efficiency of extra-jurisdictional approach will be analysed based on Malaysia’s experiences in tackling transnational environmental crimes by reviewing domestic policies, local legislations and relevant international agreements to ensure that environmental protection is sustained. 

scholarly journals Oil palm cultivation in the Americas: review of the social, economic and environmental conditions of its expansion

2021 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Colombine Lesage ◽  
Jaime Cifuentes-Espinosa ◽  
Laurène Feintrenie
Keyword(s):  
Palm Oil ◽  
Value Chain ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Local Development ◽  
Sustainable Production ◽  
Private Companies ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
Oil Sector ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
National Governments

In the Americas, the palm oil sector has been gaining importance in the last 20 years. Although in 2018 the region only accounted for 7.1% of global palm oil production, it is one of the largest suitable areas for oil palm cultivation. We conducted a literature review on how the sector developed and how its development influenced private and public actors in their choice among three categories of arrangements between oil palm growers and palm oil extraction units. We grouped cases reported in the literature in three categories: corporate models, contract farming, and growers’ organizations. The two latter categories emerged in response to the call for better inclusion of growers in the value chain, for local development, and for sustainable production; they now represent almost 30% of production in the region. All the parties involved are pushing for more sustainable production. National governments intend to regulate production, and private companies are engaging in certification and fair partnerships with producers of fruit bunches. However, there are still many negative impacts on the environment, on local populations, and on biodiversity. Thus, although the Americas appear to be on the way to being leaders of sustainability in the palm oil sector, challenges remain.

scholarly journals PENGARUH KOMUNIKASI MANDOR TERHADAP KINERJA KARYAWAN PADA PT. DEWITA SAWIT NUSANTARA

2019 ◽  
Vol 4 (01) ◽  
pp. 26-32
Author(s):  
Irfan Maulana ◽  
Nur Hidayat ◽  
Budi Winarni ◽  
Daryono ◽  
Rusmini
Keyword(s):  
Direct Observation ◽  
Palm Oil ◽  
Oil Palm ◽  
Employee Performance ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Social Adaptation ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
Oil Sector

Effect of Foreman Communication on Employee Performance at PT. Dewata Sawit Nusantara. This research is motivated by a number of cases of violence that occurred against the foreman, especially in the secretariat of oil palm plantations which caused the death of the foreman itself and automatically work in the palm oil sector will be hampered or decreased production even followed by poor quality of the oil palm plant itself. Of the several cases that occurred due to miscommunication between the foreman and the employee causing conflicts that triggered emotions on both sides. To support this research, the method of distributing questionnaires to respondents who have been chosen is chosen and not to forget the direct observation in the field and then supported by company data which is then processed in statistical tests to determine the effect of foreman communication on employee performance. It can be seen from the results of this study that good communication attitude from the foreman greatly influences the quality of employee performance and of course must also be supported by the good social adaptation abilities of the foreman.

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