Die Aufgabenstellung:
2,8♦
Read the text below, then decide whether the statements are true or false.
To feed an ever-increasing consumer demand for biscuits, ice-cream, detergents, cosmetics, more and more areas of rainforest and peatland are being converted into oil palm plantations. Palm oil has the highest yield of any oil crop and is the cheapest vegetable oil to produce and refine. Its properties make it highly versatile in the food and chemical industries, and it is contained in thousands of products. Since oil palms need a rainforest climate (consistently high humidity and temperatures) and a lot of land, large areas of native, tropical forests have been cleared to make room for vast monoculture oil palm plantations. Most of these plantations are in Indonesia and Malaysia.
The destruction of the rainforests gives rise to numerous problems for the climate, environment, and people living in the forest:
- Deforestation for palm oil production contributes significantly to climate change. The removal of the native forests often involves the burning of timber and forest undergrowth, emitting immense quantities of smoke into the atmosphere. This has caused serious air pollution and associated health problems in recent years. If the forest is on peatland, as is the case in much of Indonesia, this must be drained or burned before it is suitable for growing oil palms. Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter that has built up over thousands of years and stores vast amounts of carbon. Normally under water, once it is exposed to the air, the organic carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, which is released to the atmosphere.
- Traditional practices used to establish oil palm plantations can lead to considerable soil erosion. Erosion occurs during forest clearing and plantation establishment when the soil is left uncovered. It is accentuated by plantation practices, for example, planting trees in rows up and down hillsides instead of along contours.
- Indonesia's rainforests and peatlands are among the world's most species-rich environments and home to numerous endangered plants and animals, such as orangutans, tigers and rhinos. The destruction of natural habitats deprives the animals of the basis for their existence, causing an irreversible loss of biological diversity. The use of rat poisons is an additional problem, as these are not just consumed by the rats.
- Indigenous people are affected by the plantations – some have been forcibly displaced, others are no longer able to use the forests for raw materials for handicrafts, or for timber for their houses.
The destruction of the rainforests gives rise to numerous problems for the climate, environment, and people living in the forest:
- Deforestation for palm oil production contributes significantly to climate change. The removal of the native forests often involves the burning of timber and forest undergrowth, emitting immense quantities of smoke into the atmosphere. This has caused serious air pollution and associated health problems in recent years. If the forest is on peatland, as is the case in much of Indonesia, this must be drained or burned before it is suitable for growing oil palms. Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation or organic matter that has built up over thousands of years and stores vast amounts of carbon. Normally under water, once it is exposed to the air, the organic carbon combines with oxygen to form carbon dioxide, which is released to the atmosphere.
- Traditional practices used to establish oil palm plantations can lead to considerable soil erosion. Erosion occurs during forest clearing and plantation establishment when the soil is left uncovered. It is accentuated by plantation practices, for example, planting trees in rows up and down hillsides instead of along contours.
- Indonesia's rainforests and peatlands are among the world's most species-rich environments and home to numerous endangered plants and animals, such as orangutans, tigers and rhinos. The destruction of natural habitats deprives the animals of the basis for their existence, causing an irreversible loss of biological diversity. The use of rat poisons is an additional problem, as these are not just consumed by the rats.
- Indigenous people are affected by the plantations – some have been forcibly displaced, others are no longer able to use the forests for raw materials for handicrafts, or for timber for their houses.
On the plantations only one crop is grown.
Peat is quick to produce.
Many plants and animals in the rainforests are threatened with extinction.
Local people used trees to build their homes.
Um die Antwort abzuschicken und Ergebnisse zu sehen, müssen Sie eingeloggt sein. Bitte loggen Sie sich ein oder registrieren Sie sich im Portal!
Anmeldung
oder
Registrieren