Climate Conundrum as Biofuel Threatens Rainforests

Europe's rush to oil palm and soya biomass as source of renewable energy misguided and unsustainable

To meet Kyoto protocol commitments, various European and other governments are encouraging the use of biomass as fuel (biofuel) in transport and electricity. Indeed, dramatic climate change necessitates an embrace of renewable energy, and biofuel is an important and immediately available alternative energy. Biofuels are made from plant oils, crop wastes or wood, and can be used to run cars and power plants. They are mostly carbon neutral, as their burning returns to the atmosphere the carbon that the plants extracted during growth. Switching from fossil fuels to biodiesel is promoted as a solution to climate change, but there exist serious concerns regarding biofuel's impacts upon tropical rainforests, land and the poor.

There is only so much biomass and land available for biofuel production. Forests, and rainforests in particular, will most certainly be threatened by increased demand for agricultural products to be raised on once forested lands, and by use of forest biomass as a fuel. Throughout history agriculture has been a primary cause of deforestation as industries that covet forest land and fiber inevitably overwhelm the resource base. An unregulated rush to biofuels will lead to more natural forest loss and fragmentation, increased pressures upon endangered primary forests, and more monoculture, herbicide laden and genetically modified tree plantations. Shifts from using limited lands to feed automobiles rather than people are also likely.

Two important tropical crops suitable as biofuels include palm oil, grown mostly in Southeast Asia, and soya from South America. Both are already grown for the food industry and enjoy favorable prices, have existing markets and are otherwise economically attractive. Both are already amongst the world's major causes of tropical forest destruction, and further stimulation of the oil palm and soya markets for biofuel will surely result in massive new waves of irreversible destruction of tropical rainforests and savannas. Largely to meet demand for biofuel, the Indonesian government announced in July 2005 the development of the biggest palm oil plantation in the world which will clear the "Heart of Borneo", the vast areas of tropical rain forest in Kalimantan. This will further deteriorate habitat of the already endangered Orang Utan, as well as many other species. Furthermore, the world production of soya is expected to nearly double by 2020, for which huge areas of tropical forests will disappear in Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay.

There exists an opportunity to influence European imports of oil palm in particular, as the European Commission is currently studying the matter. Oil palm oil is increasingly used by coal-fired power stations in the Netherlands, where it is heavily subsidized, and is also used in other European countries. Over the past nine years the Dutch import of palm oil from Indonesia has increased by 100% and from Malaysia a whopping 788% to 670,700 tons at present. It makes no sense to pursue modest improvements in climate change at the expense of the World's rainforests. The use of vegetable waste and regionally produced biomass is more appropriate. The world would be better off in pursuing energy conservation and truly renewable energy sources. Clearly the European Union and world should invest more strongly in energy from wind and sun, not in carelessly creating, stimulating and subsidizing new international palm oil and soy export markets. Please let the European Commission know that Europe must do better than destroying tropical rainforests to meet their Kyoto goals.

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