Sustainable Development and Energy Transition in Europe and Asia

7Global Crisis of Sustainable Development and Global Warming: A Case Analysis of Indonesia and Laos

7.1. Introduction

Climate change and global warming have now become significant issues for the scientific community and for various countries across the globe. Among these countries are Indonesia and Laos, which are suffering from the negative impacts of climate change. Indonesia is the world’s largest producer of palm oil (as per the data circulated by Indonesia investments, June 2017) accounting for 32.5 million tons of crude palm oil production in 2014, of which 80% is exported, representing US$18.6 billion in revenue. The country saw a further increase in production to 36 million tons in 2017. This surge has evidently given a significant boost to the palm oil industry which, in turn, has become the country’s biggest foreign currency earner, second only to Malaysia as the world’s largest exporter of palm oil. The downside of such a significant increase in production is the adverse effect this is having on the country’s physical environment. The situation is similar in Laos. Destruction of rainforests and arable lands of these two countries has led to catastrophic effects on their ecosystems. The objective of the present research, therefore, is to analyze the effects of the rapid expansion of palm oil production on physical environments and ecosystems of both these countries. An analysis of this nature will also contribute to enhancing our understanding of the impact on climate ...