Environmental standard of Indonesian palm oil post omnibus law ratification

Abstract

A dismemberment of various regulations in Indonesia with the issuance of the Omnibus Law and its derivative regulations aims to facilitate investment. It is also included in the palm oil plantation sectors that obtain various conveniences hence ease its investment procedure. This article is intended to analyze the various norms that weaken the environmental standards of the palm oil sector post the issuance of the Omnibus Law. The principle of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, which became an international consensus related to the management of sustainable palm oil was used in this study. The findings show that various norms in the Omnibus Law and its derivative regulations are weakening the environmental standards as stated in the principles of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. They are also considered threatening the Indonesian forests which will be converted to oil palm plantations. The increase in land-use conversion will be in line with the increase of carbon emissions, which will accelerate and worsen the climate change effects. Unplanning the sustainability of palm oil plantations indicates a step backward of Indonesian law in managing a sustainable palm oil plantations.