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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg ‘s recent proposal to ban supersized soda and sugary drinks in restaurants, theaters and stadiums to fight obesity has triggered a debate that is largely between personal liberty and solid science. To support Bloomberg’s proposal, a 23 page task force report provides solid scientific data and analyses showing the obvious link between these sodas and obesity, yet news organizations and opponents have a turned a blind eye to the facts, turning it into a war of personal liberty over solid science.
In much the same way, palm oil has been buffeted for years by the ill winds of green NGOs with the support of major news media organizations despite the solid science showing that palm oil is healthy and sustainable. It is certainly intriguing why the environmental movement should get their knickers in a twist over palm oil despite the solid environmental record of the crop?
Now an Italian think tank, Libertiamo thinks they have uncovered the real reason for this baffling activism against what is probably the most sustainable of all oilseed crops, and the reason is raising a stink all around!
What is now clear about the green NGOs’ anti-palm oil campaigns is that they are just part of an elaborate extortion scheme dreamt up and proposed by them, which has won the support of EU governments keen to support their indigenous uncompetitive commodities. They get generous grants from such governments. They also solicit money from the gullible public by harping of orangutan or deforestation issues when the truth is that Malaysia has taken care of these issues!
In a paper entitled Taxpayer Funding, NGO Collusion and Manufactured Crises: A Case Study of Malaysia and Palm Oil, Libertiamo points out that since 2005, the European Commission has provided nearly €5million (MYR 19,7 million) to the World Wildlife Fund and €4 million (MYR 15,8 million) to Friends of the Earth. Climate Action Network (CAN) also received nearly €1 million (MYR 3.9 million) in the past two years alone.
Says Libertiamo: “European governments are spending significant sums ostensibly to engage in environmental advocacy in the developing world.” It also noted that “the degree of conservation in many of these countries regularly exceeds those efforts in Europe, as well as other developed countries!”
These EU funded NGOs “portray Malaysia and other developing countries as purveyors of environmental destruction, distorting facts and figures to suit themselves” and “the promotion of these myths serves the interests of those organizations who hold their fundraising cup out to governments and the public, with ever more alarming claims fuelling their fundraising!”
Libertiamo concludes that “NGOs have become peddlers of half truths to drive donations and attract government largesse. And donor governments support them, in the interest of uncompetitive domestic industries and neo colonial ambitions. They should both be held to account!”
In our view, there can be no doubt that these EU governments have decided to sup with the devil by funding these green extortionist campaigns against Malaysian palm oil to prop up their local oilseed industries such as rapeseed and sunflower who’d otherwise be uncompetitive against the palm oil juggernaut! The game is up and their cover has been blown by Libertiamo!
It should be observed that palm oil is planted on only 0.23% of the world’s agricultural lands, and despite occupying such a miniscule planting footprint, the crop accounts for a whopping 30% of global edible oil supply! This is due, in no small part to palm oil’s inherent yield which at 4-5 metric tons is already 10 times that of its closest competitors. With R&D pointing to a potential yield of 20 metric tons per hectare, it is not surprising that EU governments should resort to such desperate measures to rein in the runaway freight train that is palm oil! THE END
It is really very disgraceful for the EU to feign innocence when all along they are mired deep in their bullying tactics against Asian and African farmers!
When I was younger, I used to think that WWF,Greenpeace,FOE, etc were borne out of the lofty ideals of its leaders. But now all I see are their bribe taking leaders! Bleeech!!!
Maybe the EC should stop funding their NGOs and allow exports of palm oil into Europe! As the saying goes - If you can't beat them, buy them!!! LoL!!!
Why should these EC NGO lapdogs bark up against developing countries when it is very clear that many European countries like England and Germany have even much less forest cover ratio!!??
EU is bullying Asia and Africa over palm oil!
EU is bullying Asia and Africa over palm oil!
Why should these EC NGO lapdogs bark up against developing countries when it is very clear that many European countries like England and Germany have even much less forest cover ratio!!??
Maybe the EC should stop funding their NGOs and allow exports of palm oil into Europe! As the saying goes - If you can't beat them, buy them!!! LoL!!!
When I was younger, I used to think that WWF,Greenpeace,FOE, etc were borne out of the lofty ideals of its leaders. But now all I see are their bribe taking leaders! Bleeech!!!
It is really very disgraceful for the EU to feign innocence when all along they are mired deep in their bullying tactics against Asian and African farmers!