Agrofuels and oil palm plantations

The promotion of agrofuels as a form of renewable energy is proving to be one of the European Union’s biggest policy mistakes.

EU agrofuels policies are aggravating climate change. They have become a key driver of forest and biodiversity loss, land-grabs and conflicts, and human rights abuses in producer countries such as Indonesia. Increasingly, agricultural land needed to produce food is being reallocated to grow crops for agrofuels to fuel cars rather than to feed hungry people. [more]

Thank you for visiting this page. The vote has now passed but the campaign is not over! Please contact Clare McVeigh at dteproguk@gn.apc.org to find out how you can help to bring an end to bad agrofules. For a summary of how our MEPs voted and our response, please go to http://www.downtoearth-indonesia.org/story/europes-agrofuels-vote-fails-food-sovereignty-rights-and-climate

DTE 93-94, December 2012

Agrofuels are often promoted by the agrofuels industry, investors and government officials as a means of providing livelihoods for rural communities, but how does this square with the fact that agrofuels are part of the landgrabbing problem in countries like Indonesia?

DTE Letter to European Commission, 16th October 2012

 

Dear President Barroso,

Down to Earth (DTE) works with partners internationally to promote climate justice and sustainable livelihoods in Indonesia. We are deeply concerned to learn that the Commission’s potentially good amendments to flawed EU agrofuels policy could be weakened due to pressure from the industrial lobby. 

Mr. Greg Barker MP

July 6, 2011

Dear Mr. Barker,

Re: UK government action to address environmental and human rights impacts of agrofuels

I am writing on behalf of Down to Earth Indonesia, an NGO working with partners internationally to promote climate justice and sustainable livelihoods in Indonesia.

Down to Earth No.82, September 2009

European countries are turning to agrofuels for energy and transport as part of their strategy to move away from fossil fuels and meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. The use of palm oil as an agrofuel source has drawn strong criticism due to the severe social, environmental and negative climate change impacts, which contradict industry claims that it is a 'green' fuel.

Down to Earth No.76-77, May 2008


The UK government and the European Union are pressing ahead with policies to increase agrofuel* use for energy - despite evidence of serious harm to the climate and communities - due to concerns about climate change, rising prices of fossil fuels and energy security.1

Down to Earth No.75, November 2007


Evidence from local and international NGOs about the impacts of large-scale oil palm plantations on the environment and communities has made some buyers and parliamentarians in Europe realise that palm oil is not the 'green', sustainable product the industry claims.