Link: https://phys.org/news/2026-06-palm-oil-coconut-soybean-species.html

The study examined 19 oil crops. "Three of which caused a particularly large share of the impacts: oil palm, soybean and coconut," says Shuntian Wang, a doctoral student on Pfister's team. Together, they account for some 75% of the biodiversity loss caused by oil crops.

At the same time, the study highlights a clear development: Between 1995 and 2020, biodiversity loss rose by around 80%. But this is not primarily caused by global population growth.

Palms are usually hard and slow to grow due to how fast the soil nutrients get depleted by them, they also alter the soil a lot. I can't read the article but I guess the reason has something to do with it.

Ugh, is coconut oil also terrible for the local environment then, like palm oil? What a shame.

Palm oil, even though plant based, must be considered equally harmful as meat, eggs and dairy from a vegan standpoint.