JAKARTA – The world is now witnessing the increasingly worrying impacts of global climate change, which are mainly resulted from the increase of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, especially caused by carbon dioxide (CO₂). Many human activities, such as the use of fossil fuels in transportation sector, and industrial activities have been continually raising the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, worsening the global warming.
The climate change impacts are not only limited to just rising global temperatures, but also affecting the ecosystem, weather patterns, and human welfare. Therefore, it is increasingly necessary to rebalance the carbon content in the atmosphere. One way to do it is by increasing the capability of plants for carbon sequestration. One of the plants having big potential to do the carbon sequestration is oil palm trees.
Oil palm trees (Elaeis guineensis) are known as commodity with high productivity in producing vegetable oil. But actually, it has another function, which is carbon sink. Very often ignored, the environmental function enables oil palm trees to absorb carbon from the atmosphere and store it in the form of biomass. The process occurred through the mechanism of photosynthesis, in which the plants absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen. Within this context, the oil palm plantations have a big capacity to contribute to the mitigation of global climate change.
Carbon Sink Capability of Oil Palm
Based on the research conducted by Henson (1999), the oil palm trees have the capacity to absorb up to 64.5 tons of carbon per hectare per year. It is much higher than that of tropical forests, which can only absorb around 25 tons of carbon per hectare per year, based on the study conducted by the Oil Palm Research and Development Center (PPKS, 2023).
Its high capacity of carbon absorption has made the oil palm trees as one of the most efficient plants in mitigating the carbon dioxide emissions.
Besides, the process of bio-sequestration—storing carbon in biomass, is also very important in the contexts of climate change. In Indonesia, the stock of carbon stored in palm biomass averaged at 40 tons per hectare, and potential to increase along with their ages.
The facts have proven that the oil palm trees do not only function as the source of vegetable oil, but also provide an ecological solution to reduce carbon emissions. Along with the growth of plants, the amount of carbon absorbed and stored is increasing, giving long term positive impacts in reducing GHG emissions from the atmosphere.
Oil Palm Characteristics Support Bio-sequestration
Oil palm trees are perennial plants with a strong root system and fast growth. The morphology of the plants with dense leaves enables them to create full canopy when reaching mature age, increasing their capacity to absorb carbon. Besides, their production period of more than 25 years has enabled them to absorb carbon in the long term. It means that having a life cycle of 25 – 30 years, the oil palm trees can effectively and consistently function as “biological machines” in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.
With different characteristics from other seasonal plants, such as soybean and rapeseed that need replanting every year, the oil palm trees can steadily provide significant contribution in mitigating carbon emissions.
Besides having much bigger potential in reducing carbon emissions and storing carbon dioxide sustainably, the oil palm trees are also more efficient in terms of using lands.
Additional advantages
Besides their main function as carbon sink, the oil palm plantations also provide other benefits related to sustainability of ecosystems. Good plantation practices, such as application of agroforestry system and utilization of biomass wastes, can strengthen their function of bio-sequestration. Wastes like empty palm fruit bunches and pruning results left on the ground will decompose and increase the organic content of the soil, increase fertility and support the growth of micro-organism, which also plays role in the carbon cycle.
The land use for oil palm plantations in Indonesia very often covers High Conservation Value (HCV) or High Carbon Stock (HCS). These areas are maintained to protect biodiversity and help maintain the balance of local eco-system, and strengthen the function of oil palm plantations in mitigating impacts of climate change.
Conclusion
The oil palm plantations play a significant role in reducing carbon emissions and tackling global climate change through an efficient system of carbon absorption. Its capability to absorb carbon up to 64.5 tons per hectare per year, higher than tropical forests, makes it as one of the plants with big potential to function as carbon sink. With a long production period and morphological characteristics to support its bio-sequestration, the oil palm trees provide a long term sustainable solution to mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Under sustainable operation, the oil palm plantations will not only function as an important source of economic benefits for many countries, but also as an asset of global ecology to reduce carbon emissions from the atmosphere and maintain the balance of ecosystem. Such important role has proven that the oil palm trees are not only used to produce agricultural products, but they also function as a significant solution to the climate change. (*)
Palmoilina.asia. https://palmoilina.asia/berita-sawit/sawit-sebagai-carbon-sink/. Carbon Sink dalam Perkebunan Sawit [Infografis 2024]. Oktober 1, 2024
