COMMISSIONS: The Curse of Palm Oil in Guatemala: 21-20180214palm0205

IZABAL, GUATEMALA. February 13, 2018 – The Rio Dulce connects Lake Izabal to the Carribean Sea, in the Izabal Department, eastern Guatemala.In Guatemala, only four percent of producers control 80 percent of the land. Approximately 60 percent of citizens live in poverty but rises to 80 percent among the indigenous communities. Guatemala also has the second-largest rainforest cover in Latin America, after Brazil. The country lost an average of 68,000 hectares a year between 2005 and 2010 (3.72% per year). The rate of deforestation has almost tripled in a decade due to government regulations that incentivize productive lands over natural areas and promote subsidized development.

IZABAL, GUATEMALA. February 13, 2018 – The Rio Dulce connects Lake Izabal to the Carribean Sea, in the Izabal Department, eastern Guatemala. 

In Guatemala, only four percent of producers control 80 percent of the land. Approximately 60 percent of citizens live in poverty but rises to 80 percent among the indigenous communities. Guatemala also has the second-largest rainforest cover in Latin America, after Brazil. The country lost an average of 68,000 hectares a year between 2005 and 2010 (3.72% per year). The rate of deforestation has almost tripled in a decade due to government regulations that incentivize productive lands over natural areas and promote subsidized development.