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]

DTE 96-97, December 2013

The name Wilmar looms large in the Europe-Indonesia agrofuels picture.  This Singapore-based company sells Indonesia-made biodiesel to Europe as well as selling oil palm feedstock for making biodiesel in Europe.

How oil palm produced in Indonesia ends up in Europe’s transport and electricity systems

DTE 96-97, December 2013

Contact details used in this sample letter are for UK Ministers. Please go to your country's parliamentary website for contact details of your energy, environment or transport ministers working on biofuels policy.

DTE video, 11th September 2013

Nur Hidayati from WALHI and Bondan Andriyanu from Sawit Watch interviewed by DTE at the European Parliament in Strasbourg.

Joint statement by DTE, 11.11.11, Watch Indonesia! and WALHI

September 13th

MEPs vote for too-high 6% cap on agrofuels

DTE, September 12, 2013

"The people of Indonesia will be disappointed to hear that the European parliament has failed to agree any meaningful action to reduce Europe's demand for palm oil, which is driving deforestation and conflict in our country."

Nur Hidayati, WALHI/Friends of the Earth Indonesia, quoted in the Guardian, September 11th