Global crisis of sustainable development and global warming: a case analysis of Indonesia and Laos

Climate change and global warming have become significant issues for the scientific community and various countries around the globe in recent year. Among these countries are Indonesia and Laos which are suffering from the negative impacts of climate change. Indonesia is the world's largest producer of palm oil (as per the data circulated by Indonesia investments, June 2017) accounting for 32.5 million tonnes of crude palm oil production in 2014 of which 80% is exported representing USD$18.6 billion in revenue. The country saw a further increase in production to 36 million tonnes in 2017. This surge has evidently given a significant boost to the palm oil industry which, in turn, has become the country's biggest foreign currency earner, second only to Malaysia as the world's largest exporter of palm oil. The down side of such a significant increase in production is the adverse effect this is having on the country's physical environment. The situation is similar in Laos. Destruction of the two countries' rain forests and arable lands has led to catastrophic effects on their ecosystems. The objective of the present research therefore is to analyze the effects of the rapid expansion of palm oil production in both countries' physical environments and ecosystems. An analysis of this nature will also contribute to enhancing our understanding of the impact on climate change and constraints to sustainable development. Our research has found that sustainable agriculture and a focused environment policy can help in curbing the harmful ecological aspects of high end industrialization and development. These finding suggest that effective enforcement of environmental standards in palm oil production is crucial, not just in Indonesia, but across the globe to ensure that the issue is dealt with carefully to prevent any further damage.