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A Review of Southeast Asian Oil Palm and Its CO 2 Fluxes

Author

Listed:
  • Royston Uning

    (Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Mohd Talib Latif

    (Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Murnira Othman

    (Institute for Environment and Development (LESTARI), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Liew Juneng

    (Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Norfazrin Mohd Hanif

    (Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir

    (Department of Earth Sciences and Environment, Faculty of Science and Technology, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud

    (Earth Observation Centre, Institute of Climate Change, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia
    Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar

    (Earth Observation Centre, Institute of Climate Change, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Nor Fitrah Syazwani Said

    (Earth Observation Centre, Institute of Climate Change, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Fatimah Ahamad

    (Centre for Tropical Climate Change System, Institute of Climate Change, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

  • Mohd Sobri Takriff

    (Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi 43600, Selangor, Malaysia)

Abstract

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 (CO 2 ) into the atmosphere, leading to climate change. This review therefore aims to discuss the characteristics of oil palm plantations and their impacts, especially CO 2 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 CO 2 fluxes have shown that overall, oil palm plantation CO 2 emissions are about one to two times higher than other major crops, the ability of oil palms to absorb CO 2 (a net of 64 tons of CO 2 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Royston Uning & Mohd Talib Latif & Murnira Othman & Liew Juneng & Norfazrin Mohd Hanif & Mohd Shahrul Mohd Nadzir & Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud & Wan Shafrina Wan Mohd Jaafar & Nor Fitrah Syazwani Said, 2020. "A Review of Southeast Asian Oil Palm and Its CO 2 Fluxes," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-15, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:12:y:2020:i:12:p:5077-:d:374709
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Sumathi, S. & Chai, S.P. & Mohamed, A.R., 2008. "Utilization of oil palm as a source of renewable energy in Malaysia," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 12(9), pages 2404-2421, December.
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    4. Shi, Yusheng & Sasai, Takahiro & Yamaguchi, Yasushi, 2014. "Spatio-temporal evaluation of carbon emissions from biomass burning in Southeast Asia during the period 2001–2010," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 272(C), pages 98-115.
    5. Daniel Murdiyarso & Erik Lilleskov & Randy Kolka, 2019. "Tropical peatlands under siege: the need for evidence-based policies and strategies," Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change, Springer, vol. 24(4), pages 493-505, April.
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    Cited by:

    1. Norhana Abdul Majid & Zaimah Ramli & Sarmila Md Sum & Abd Hair Awang, 2021. "Sustainable Palm Oil Certification Scheme Frameworks and Impacts: A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(6), pages 1-10, March.
    2. Muhammad Zubair & Shuyan Chen & Yongfeng Ma & Xiaojian Hu, 2023. "A Systematic Review on Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ) Emission Measurement Methods under PRISMA Guidelines: Transportation Sustainability and Development Programs," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(6), pages 1-19, March.
    3. Nur Fatma Fadilah Yaacob & Muhamad Razuhanafi Mat Yazid & Khairul Nizam Abdul Maulud & Noor Ezlin Ahmad Basri, 2020. "A Review of the Measurement Method, Analysis and Implementation Policy of Carbon Dioxide Emission from Transportation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-23, July.

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