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]

New research shows ILUC emissions are ‘a serious concern’

New scientific studies, commissioned by the European Commission this year, give clear indications that agrofuels are not the magic solution that policy makers had hoped for and ‘scientific uncertainty’ is no longer a valid excuse for inaction.

According to an Opinion issued by a panel of 19 top European scientists, existing targets for agrofuels and other forms of bioenergy are based on “flawed” carbon accounting and the “potential consequences …are immense”.[1]

DTE 88, April 2011

Oil palm development in Indonesia has led to conflict, human rights abuses and the theft of community land; it has sparked massive fires which devastate forests, contribute significantly to climate change and affect human health.

Already the world’s biggest producer of palm oil, Indonesia is promoting yet more palm oil plantations across almost all regions in the country. Palm oil plantations covered more than 8 million hectares in 2010.

The expansion is being driven by the Indonesian government’s push for export revenues and demand for the crop from the international food and cosmetics industries.

DTE's Clare McVeigh with protestors from Food not Fuel

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.80-81, June 2009

The following CSO declaration was issued in March 2009 to urge governments to take a cautious approach to claims that charcoal - called 'biochar' by its promoters - can be a means of storing large amounts of carbon and mitigating climate change. Instead, 'biochar' could mean more land-grabbing, human rights violations and forest destruction.