Oil palms.

油棕，

Known for the oil its fruits produce, these trees are consuming the countryside and rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia at a shocking pace.

以其果實產生的油聞名，這種樹正以驚人的速度佔據印尼、馬來西亞的農村、雨林，

And this massive terraforming endeavor is all happening to satisfy demand from western countries

而如此大規模的種植，都是為了滿足西方國家對棕櫚油的需求，

hooked on palm oil's ability to replace more costly alternatives in products spanning from shampoos to pizza doughs.

因為棕櫚油可以作為成本較低的替代品，無論是製作洗髮精，還是披薩麵團。

If you look closely, palm oil is everywhere.

如果仔細觀察，你會發現棕櫚油無所不在，

Yet, it can often disguise itself with sneaky aliases on ingredient lists.

不過，它常常化名為別的東西，偷偷隱身在成分標示中，

The ubiquity of palm oil has become such a hot-button issue

棕櫚油的普及已經成為一項熱門議題，

that the European Union decided to ban subsidies of palm oil in biofuels by 2020.

以致於歐盟決定，最晚在 2020 年之前，禁止對棕櫚油在生質燃料的補助，

The oil is shrouded in controversy and skepticism.

關於棕櫚油，大家抱持著爭議和懷疑。

I want to know whether the environmental impact of palm oil consumption warrants these drastic measures,

我想知道的是，因為使用棕櫚油對環境造成衝擊，而採取這樣極端的作法，是否正當？

whether boycotting or banning palm oil is a reasonable solution.

聯合抵制或禁止棕櫚油，是否是合理的解決辦法？

While palm oil often ends up in products consumed mostly in the US and Europe,

儘管棕櫚油最終主要用於美國、歐洲的商品裡，

the story of palm oil's environmental devastation lies rooted in Indonesia and Malaysia.

關於棕櫚油造成生態浩劫，大家的認知仍深根於印尼、馬來西亞，

Combined, these two countries satisfy 90% of the global demand for palm oil.

這兩個國家總共提供了 90% 全球所需的棕櫚油。

Through a medley of small landholders and large corporations, rural land has been transformed into an oil palm monocropping factory.

農地已經變成單種油棕的工廠，混雜了小農和大公司，

According to one analysis, from 1990 to 2010, 9.6 million hectares of land were converted to industrial oil palm farms in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea.

根據分析，從 1990 年到 2010 年，在印尼、馬來西亞、巴布亞紐幾內亞，總計有 9.6 百萬公頃的土地變成業用油棕農場，

That being said, the makeup of the land before conversion varied widely,

話雖如此，土地轉型前的用途各個大相逕庭，

and as a result, the environmental impacts of this massive land transformation is contextual.

因此，大規模土地轉型造成的環境衝擊，依情況而有所不同。

One study conducted by Forest Watch Indonesia claims that while some of this deforestation is government sanctioned,

一項由 Forest Watch Indonesia 做的研究聲明，儘管有些森林開發是政府許可的，

almost 50% of natural forest loss is located outside of lands zoned for logging or production.

在被劃分為砍伐、生產的地區之外，仍有幾乎 50% 的自然林消失，

And it's this act of rapidly terraforming forest land into neat rows of oil palms that has led to a backlash against palm oil products.

就是迅速開發林地成油棕林的行為，導致大家強烈反對棕櫚油產品，

Not only is the loss of rainforest a problem due to the subsequent loss of the ability to sequester large amounts of carbon,

雨林的消失，除了導致地球無法吸收大量二氧化碳，

but it also means the destruction of rich biodiverse habitats.

也破壞了豐富生物多樣性的棲息地，

And often, the easiest and cheapest way to ready large swaths of forest for production is through burning.

要將大片森林準備為生產用地，最簡單、便宜的方法往往就是用火燒，

In the case of trees, this compounds the environmentally damaging act of clear-cutting

這樣的作法，加重了「皆伐」帶來的環境破壞，

by releasing large amounts of carbon into the atmosphere via smoke.

因為火燒林的煙霧大量增加了大氣中的二氧化碳。

Another peer-reviewed study on oil palm deforestation found that between 1990 and 2010,

另一項經過同行評議，關於油棕和森林開發的研究，發現 1990 年到 2010 年間，

net carbon dioxide emissions from land use change due to oil palm plantations increased from 92 to 184 teragrams of carbon dioxide per year in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Papua New Guinea.

土地使用的二氧化碳淨排放產生變化，因為種植油棕使印尼、馬來西亞、巴布亞紐幾內亞，每年增加 920 到 1400 億公斤的二氧化碳排放，

That's an increase of the equivalent of roughly 36,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools of carbon dioxide more per year.

這相當於每年增加，大約 36000 個奧運泳池大小的二氧化碳量。

Besides the deforestation of primary forests and rainforest,

除了主要森林、雨林的開發，

the draining and burning of peatlands in Southeast Asia has caused huge problems for the environment and atmosphere.

東南亞泥炭地的枯竭、焚燒，也造成環境和空氣嚴重的問題，

Peatlands act like sponges for carbon dioxide: soaking up and storing large quantities of CO2 in their waterlogged, low oxygen environments.

泥炭地就像吸碳海綿一樣：浸滿水、低氧的環境吸收並儲存了大量的二氧化碳，

But when oil palm producers drain these swamps and burn the remaining foliage to establish their crops,

不過當油棕製造商為了種植作物，將這些沼澤抽乾、燒光僅存的植物時，

this carbon sequestration reverses and releases all that carbon back into the atmosphere.

所有原本儲存在裡面的碳，就會反過來釋放回大氣中，

This destructive process has led to a sharp decline of peatlands in Indonesia and Malaysia,

這樣具破壞性的作法，已經導致印尼、馬來西亞的泥碳地大量減少，

and according to a study published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment,

根據 Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 裡面發表的一項研究，

Southeast Asian peatlands could disappear by 2030 if the rate of oil palm farming continues.

如果油棕農業繼續以這樣的速度發展，東南亞的泥碳地就會在 2030 年前消失殆盡，

Ironically, one of the main drivers of this rampant proliferation of oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia is the desire for sustainable biofuels in Europe.

諷刺的是，造成油棕林猖獗、擴張的其中一項主要推手，就是歐洲的永續生質燃料，

Or rather it was until very recently.

更確切地說，直到最近，一直都是。

Europe has long sought to replace their emissions-heavy diesel fuel with something a little more clean-burning.

歐洲一直以來都在尋求更無污染的燃料，取代排放大量廢氣的柴油，

Their solution was biofuels, chief of which was palm oil.

生質燃料恰好解決他們的問題，它的主要成分正是棕櫚油，

Although the EU's cars appeared to be less emissions-heavy with biofuels in use,

雖然歐洲的車子使用生質燃料後，乍看之下減少廢氣排放，

the true consequences of their supposed environmentalism lay halfway across the world in razed forests and burned peatlands.

事實的結果是，因為森林夷平、泥碳地焚毀，他們自以為的環保其實只做了一半，

So their sustainable fuel initiative was not really sustainable at all.

他們發起的永續燃料一點也不永續，

As a result, the European Commission banned palm oil biofuel subsidies in March of 2019.

因此，歐盟委員會在 2019 年 3 月禁止了棕櫚油生質燃料的補助，

While this is a step forward in slowing the boom of slash-and-burn oil palm plantations in Southeast Asia,

儘管此舉，對於減緩東南亞油棕林火耕的熱潮，有了進展，

it also means a strong blow to smallholder farmers reliant on the expanding palm oil industry.

對於倚靠棕櫚油業為生的小農來說，卻是一記很大的打擊，

The Guardian interviewed 66-year-old oil palm farmer, Hussain Mohamed, who decried the EU's choice to draw down their consumption of palm oil biofuels.

英國《衛報》採訪了一位 66 歲、名叫 Hussain Mohamed 的油棕農，他譴責歐盟減少使用棕櫚油生質燃料的這項決定，

He says, "I've spent all my money on the palm oil farm, I've recently planted new trees that will last for the next 25 years,

他說「我所有金錢都投注在油棕上了，我最近才剛新種了幾棵油棕，一棵可以活 25 年，

and my whole family relies on this. It's how my kids afford to study."

我全家靠這個維生，小孩的學費也從這來。」

So, while independent small farmers represent only a portion of oil palm production,

儘管獨立小農只代表油棕產業的一部分，

with the rest owned by much larger corporations, this decision could upend their livelihoods.

剩下由較大的公司所掌握，這項決定仍影響了他們的生計，

In a sense, the EU's flip-flopping on palm oil has manufactured a boom-and-bust process for smaller farmers who've invested their future in palm oil plantations.

就某種意義來說，歐盟對於棕櫚油出爾反爾的決定，影響了那些把未來投注在油棕上的小農，生意的興衰，

The point here is this: palm oil production is indeed tied to environmentally harmful practices like clear-cutting rainforests and draining and burning peatlands.

要說的重點是：由於皆伐雨林、抽乾和焚毀泥碳地，棕櫚油產業的確和環境破壞息息相關，

And for that reason, our global consumption of palm oil needs to be minimized or at least driven into a slower, more sustainable model

因此，我們需要將全球棕櫚油使用量減至最低，或至少以更緩慢、永續的方式處理，

that considers the environmental impacts of land use before tearing apart beneficial forests.

就是在破壞有益的森林之前，先思考土地使用所帶來的環境衝擊，

However, extracting ourselves from this process is a complicated matter

然而，這件事並非只是單純不使用棕櫚油而已，

that can exact negative consequences on independent growers and wage laborers now dependent on the Southeast Asian palm oil production industry.

因為這會對倚靠東南亞棕櫚油產業為生的獨立農戶、勞工，造成負面的影響，

As the primary consumers of this oil, Europe and the United States have drivemand forward and ultimately the reckless pace of palm oil production in Indonesia and Malaysia.en the d

歐洲、美國作為棕櫚油的主要使用國，促使需求量增加，最終導致印尼、馬來西亞的棕櫚油生產速度飆升，

As a result, simply banning palm oils is not enough.

因此，光是禁止棕櫚油是不夠的。

In an official statement, The World Wildlife Fund argues that rather than boycotting,

世界自然基金會在一份正式聲明中主張，與其聯合抵制棕櫚油，

working from within to establish environmental best practices for oil palm growers is the best way forward.

努力從中建立最佳環保典範給油棕農看，才是進步最好的方式。

There's definitely some truth to the statement, because when done right, oil palms can yield the highest amount of oil per acre of land.

這份聲明說得的確有道理，因為種得好的話，每片油棕林能產出最大量的棕櫚油，

And if western countries drastically decrease their demand for palm oil,

假如西方國家大幅減少棕櫚油的需求量，

that could bring harsh disaster for many now reliant on a western thirst for the oil.

則會對許多倚靠出口棕櫚油到西方國家的人，造成嚴重的影響，

Ultimately, the palm oil industry is now the whims of economically and politically powerful countries

政經強勢國家現在對棕櫚油業的處理方式，終究是反反覆覆，

and is just one of many industries that sacrifices environmental health and the well-being of poor and marginalized communities in pursuit of profits.

而棕櫚油業也只是眾多之一，為了謀利，而犧牲窮困邊緣族群的福祉、環境健康的產業。

When it comes down to it, the problems of the palm oil industry are symptoms of a much larger problem

說到底，棕櫚油業的問題其實表明了另一個更大的問題，

that there are countries who get to dictate global economies.

就是全球經濟操控在某些國家手上，

And those countries don't operate on an ethic of environmental or social care, but rather one of domination and exploitation.

那些國家不以關懷環境、社會為行事準則，而是以支配、剝削利用。

Maybe I've been watching a little too much Black Mirror,

也許是我看太多《黑鏡》，

but recently I've been getting paranoid about sinister entities watching my every move on the Internet.

但我最近開始胡思亂想，擔心有心人士觀察我在網路上的一舉一動，

I've been searching for a way to protect both my passwords and internet activity, and I found Dashlane.

所以我一直在找方法，保護我的密碼和網路活動紀錄，然後我找到了 Dashlane，

It's the perfect blend of the two.

它恰好兩者都能保護，

But really, Dashlane does three things all in one package.

事實上，Dashlane 提供一套三合一的防護，

It stores and secures your passwords, it lets you privately and safely browse the internet with a VPN,

它能儲存、保護你的密碼，讓你可以藉由虛擬私人網路，安全、私密地上網，

and it's a Dark Web Monitoring service that alerts you if your information has been leaked.

假如你的資訊遭到外流，它的暗網監控服務會發出警訊通知你，

Dashlane has been a great way for me to make my logins secure with ridiculously long passwords that I never have to remember.

Dashlane 讓我能安全登入帳號，卻不必死記那些長得要命的密碼，

All I have to do is click a few buttons.

我只要點幾個按鈕就好。

It's that easy, and it works across all devices and platforms.

它簡單易上手，而且適用所有裝置、平台，

So, if you want to be like me and scroll through the web with peace of mind, go to dashlane.com/occ to get a free 30-day trial of Dashlane premium.

所以，如果你想像我一樣安心上網，就到 dashlane.com/occ 免費試用 30 天 Dashlane 升級版，

And if you love it at the end of the trial, make sure to use the offer code OCC to get 10% off premium.

試用結果滿意的話，購買升級版時，記得使用優惠代碼「OCC」 享 9 折優惠，

Hey everyone, thanks for watching the video.

謝謝大家收看這部影片，

If you're interested in some bonus content or joining a community chat with eco-minded people,

如果你有興趣看更多內容，或加入社群跟環保人士聊聊的話，

consider supporting this channel on Patreon.

可以考慮到 Patreon 贊助這個頻道，

It helps me out a ton, and you get some fun gifts in return.

這會給我們莫大的幫助，你還能獲得一些有趣的回禮，

Again, thanks for watching, and I'll see you in two weeks.

再次感謝你的收看，我們兩週後見。