The Future of Palm Oil and the Sustainability of Palm Oil Producing Landscapes and Societies
Darrel Webber
RAEL Lab Meeting
12:00 pm, 15 April 2015
310 Barrows Hall, Room 323
—Wednesday—
In 2008 global production of palm oil stood at 48 million tonnes. More than three quarters of this comes from two countries: Indonesia and Malaysia. According to the FAO by 2020 the global demand for palm oil will double, and triple by 2050. This growth rate causes major concern for environmental groups as the industry is linked to major issues such as deforestation, habitat degradation, climate change, biodiversity loss and indigenous rights abuses. The Round Table on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is a non-profit organization established in 2004 that aims to increase the sustainability of the industry. While the opportunities to impact forest health are great, this complex process presents a number of challenges from setting standards to enforcement, verification, engagement and creating awareness. Darrel will be sharing insight on the process of managing the sustainability of a global commodity.
Darrel Webber has been the Secretary General of the RSPO since 2011. Prior to this he was Senior Manager Palm Oil Sector Engagement at WWF-International and was actively involved in the initial discussions and development of the RSPO Principles & Criteria.