Palm oil sustainability initiative must rule out deforestation, group says

The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) must implement standards that protect forests and account for greenhouse gas emissions to remain credible, said an environmental group ahead of a that will determine the body’s “Principles and Criteria” for the next five years.

In a statement issued Friday, The Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) called on the RSPO to enact rules that ensure the palm oil it certifies is deforestation free.

“The moment is now. There won’t be another opportunity to add forest and climate protections until 2018 – and by then, the deforestation caused by the palm oil industry could make forest protections a moot point,” said Sarah Roquemore, outreach coordinator for UCS’s tropical forest and climate initiative.

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