With all the press surrounding palm oil in Malaysia – its boon to the national economy, its increasing demand worldwide, its razing and takeover of tropical forest and its reliance on migrant labor – it can be difficult to get a clear picture of the industry.  The facts are all…

Malaysia currently accounts for 39 percent of world palm oil production and 44 percent of world exports.  This makes it one of the biggest players in the industry – one rife with environmental degradation and human rights violations.  Pressed by international upset at rampant deforestation, ghastly carbon emissions and working…

– Originally published on International Policy Digest by Clean Malaysia’s Editor in Chief Brandon Taylor – President Barack Obama has just packed his bags and embarked on a trip to Kuala Lumpur.  The reason for the trip is the third US-ASEAN Summit, and the meeting will have important implications for the environment…

In the tropical rainforests of Sabah, a Malaysian state on the island of Borneo, one of the world’s largest-ever ecological experiments is under way. Called the Stability of Altered Forest Ecosystems (SAFE) Project, the study encompasses roughly 20,000 hectares of rainforest that is actively being transformed into oil palm plantation.  Against a…

One of the largest ecological experiments in recorded history is being conducted in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo.  It has to do with three hot-button issues – palm oil, deforestation, and biodiversity – and it hopes to find a way to point them all in the direction of sustainability. Launched in 2010,…

A dangerous and potentially deadly monkey-borne parasite has reared its head in Malaysia.  Once rarely seen in humans, it is now responsible for more than two-thirds of hospitalized malaria patients in Malaysian Borneo.  The cause?  Deforestation in Malaysia. Plasmodium knowlesi is a Southeast Asian malaria parasite that, in a healthy…

More than a month after they started burning, Indonesian forest fires that caused a crippling haze epidemic are still raging strong.  The record-breaking burn is due largely to palm oil practices that dry out, expose and otherwise make the peatland beneath them extremely susceptible to fires.  As a result of…

Flying camera drones are being used to monitor palm oil plantation activity, fighting illegal land clearing and deforestation in Malaysia. In order to identify protected areas, single out especially rich environments and effectively keep tabs on what’s going on in the jungle, Malaysia’s forests must be surveyed from above. Drones…

The largest sovereign wealth fund in the world has just excluded two Malaysian conglomerates from its investment portfolio due to risks of “severe environmental damage.” Norway’s Government Pension Fund Global (GPFG) dropped the two companies, construction firm IJM Corporation Berhad and multi-industry conglomerate Genting Berhad, on August 18 over their…

Consistent increases in Malaysian palm oil production recently caused national stockpiles to reach their highest peak since last November. Expanding rapidly, the industry is vital to the Malaysian economy and accounts for 5-6% of the country’s GDP. The growth of Malaysian palm oil, however, is coupled with growing destruction. The…