Scrapes #9
Author : Tiffany Stecker
Full Article: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=ban-on-trans-fats-could-accelerate-deforestation
Topic: Slash and Burn of Forests Will Accelerate Due to Ban of Trans Fats
Trans fats are said to give heart disease and is said to be a promoter of bad cholesterol. The FDA proposed to ban the trans fat in our food. The alternative to trans fat is palm oil. 85% of palm oil is grown in Indonesia or Malaysia. The situation, is that the export of palm oil to the United States doubled. This encouraged the growers to slash and burn the forests for the oil. Growers have been accused of clearing native forests and destroying habitats of endangered species."It's something we're watching very carefully," said Dave McLaughlin, vice president for agriculture at the World Wildlife Fund. "The more demand that we add to it, the more we're putting forests at risk." The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil was formed to address the concerns around palm oil. They have been criticized because of their low standards and poor enforcement.
I chose this article because I never thought the ban of an ingredient that was meant to be a benefit could actually lead to something bad, in this case the deforestation. It was also said that palm oil could also lead to heart disease, therefore it actually had little benefit. What was most interesting about this article is that after almost every paragraph, there is a quote to support what was stated. This relates to me, because the food I eat contains trans fat. Banning it can benefit me by preventing the increase of risk in heart disease, but at the same time can drawback the whole entire world.
Banning of trans fat is great and all, but the risk of deforestation is still out there. Deforestation can lead to destruction of habitats of endangered species. Researchers should try to find alternatives for palm oil, that doesn't lead to a major loss of natural resources which can save the lives of many species. This alternative should also not raise the risk of heart disease and cholesterol, therefore having more benefits than drawbacks. What's most significant about this article is the problem was presented first, and the organizations trying to solve the problem was at the end of the arti
Trans fats are said to give heart disease and is said to be a promoter of bad cholesterol. The FDA proposed to ban the trans fat in our food. The alternative to trans fat is palm oil. 85% of palm oil is grown in Indonesia or Malaysia. The situation, is that the export of palm oil to the United States doubled. This encouraged the growers to slash and burn the forests for the oil. Growers have been accused of clearing native forests and destroying habitats of endangered species."It's something we're watching very carefully," said Dave McLaughlin, vice president for agriculture at the World Wildlife Fund. "The more demand that we add to it, the more we're putting forests at risk." The Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil was formed to address the concerns around palm oil. They have been criticized because of their low standards and poor enforcement.
I chose this article because I never thought the ban of an ingredient that was meant to be a benefit could actually lead to something bad, in this case the deforestation. It was also said that palm oil could also lead to heart disease, therefore it actually had little benefit. What was most interesting about this article is that after almost every paragraph, there is a quote to support what was stated. This relates to me, because the food I eat contains trans fat. Banning it can benefit me by preventing the increase of risk in heart disease, but at the same time can drawback the whole entire world.
Banning of trans fat is great and all, but the risk of deforestation is still out there. Deforestation can lead to destruction of habitats of endangered species. Researchers should try to find alternatives for palm oil, that doesn't lead to a major loss of natural resources which can save the lives of many species. This alternative should also not raise the risk of heart disease and cholesterol, therefore having more benefits than drawbacks. What's most significant about this article is the problem was presented first, and the organizations trying to solve the problem was at the end of the arti