This article looks at the possibilities of sustainability in palm oil plantations in Malaysia. First, the author examines the history, methods, and technology of the palm oil industry, then he discusses sustainability and its possible challenges. Although this article is about palm oil in Malaysia, the conditions are similar enough to be comparable to that of Indonesia. Malaysia has long been behind efforts toward sustainable palm oil production, and at the time of the writing (2007), Malaysia was the world’s largest producer of palm oil. The author contends that “sustainability” by definition must conform to the universally accepted model of benefiting the three P’s: people, planet, and profit. Palm oil refinement already produces a large number of plant byproducts such as cellulose and other plant fibers, which can be exploited commercially. By dry biomass, about 10% is oil and the other 90% are these plant byproducts. Currently, these excess cellulose and fibers are reused as fuel for the refineries with portions allocated to be composed and used as mulch for the plantations. It is projected that future second-generation biofuels may be derived from the plant fibers to create liquid fuel. Palm oil benefits the people by being the largest employment sector in Malaysia, providing livelihood benefits to a large number of formerly impoverished Malaysians. The main question is how this may benefit the planet. The current variety of oil palm that is used in plantations is actually a hybrid that has been genetically enhanced through selective breeding, producing over 100% more yield than the original hybrid called Tenera (Dura x Pisifera). The author argues that palm oil should be compared to other agricultural crops in terms of sustainability and in this light it is far more beneficial to the planet than most. Oil palm itself is a very resilient plant that is little affected by disease, weeds, or pests, so there is minimal use of pesticides or weedicides, and most palm oil plantations utilize biological pest control methods such as barn owls to reduce the rodent population. Compared to temperate agricultural crops, oil palm produces eight to ten times more oxygen and absorbs up to ten times more carbon dioxide, while producing around ten times more oil per hectare annually than other oil crops. Furthermore, the author argues, plantation crops such as oil palm are not considered planted forests, even though their ecosystem is far more biodiverse than their western counterparts in planted forests. If oil palm were to be considered planted forests, then Malaysian forest cover would be nearly 80%. Farmers have also developed methods to planting near jungle fringes while limiting impact by creating riparian reserves along rivers and lakes, thus preserving biodiversity and preventing erosion. This brings up a very interesting issue to me, as deforestation seems to be somewhat of a double standard. In Western countries, most land has already been deforested and developed, and yet we accuse and prevent other less well-off countries from developing. The author admits that the main issue for palm oil is in the forest clearing process. To account for the need for sustainability, the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) was formed, with many Malaysian palm oil companies in founding positions. The RSPO is an ambitious endeavor which seeks to award palm oil companies that meets its guidelines with sustainability certifications. Additionally, the author contends that allegations that oil palm is destroying habitats of endangered species such as the orangutan in Malaysia are largely unfounded and that the Malaysian government has created reservations and sanctuaries to protect these habitats; since in the 1990s, the Malaysian government had implemented policies that prevented opening of new jungle lands to agriculture.