ITS NOT ONLY FOSSIL FUELS CAUSING CLIMATE DEVASTATION.

Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s largest palm oil exporters, have launched a diplomatic campaign against the European Union’s anti-deforestation regulation, which they have called imperialistic and discriminatory against small producers. The countries said they already have their own guarantee systems to prevent forest loss, but agreed to form a special team with the EU to address the implementation of the new regulation. The controversy involves mainly palm oil, a versatile and inexpensive product used in a wide range of goods, from processed foods (such as cookies, pastries, or ice cream) to cosmetics and biofuels. Palm oil has long been linked to deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia, although the loss of forests has decreased in both countries. The EU adopted the Deforestation Regulation on May 16 to prevent imports of certain raw materials and derived products, such as palm oil, beef, soy, coffee, rubber, wood, or chocolate, from causing deforestation in third countries. Under the regulation, companies must issue a due diligence declaration to ensure they have not caused deforestation in their places of origin as of 2020, which includes sharing geolocation coordinates, among other requirements. After 18 months from the regulation’s entry into force, around the end of 2024, the European Commission will create a classification of the countries of origin of products based on low, medium, or high risk, which will determine the frequency of checks.