Palm Biofuel

                                                Bio-fuel from Palm 

             Climate change faced by mankind  most pressing global environmental problem facing humanity.Hundreds of millions of people could lose their livelihoods or lives if average global temperatures rise by more than 2°C. Up to one million species could go extinct. This outcome is almost inevitable if global emissions do not start to fall within the next 20 years. Friends of the Earth therefore supports a diverse range of action to reduce the emissions of global warming gases including greater energy efficiency, a decentralized energy infrastructure system and a huge leap in investment in the renewable sector.

     Palm plantation of Chandrashekar M.R Malali,Hosanagar.

Palm oil is the second most traded vegetable oil crop in the world, after soy , and over 90% of the world’s palm oil exports are produced in Malaysia and Indonesia . Palm oil is still mostly used in the manufacture of food products and is found in one in ten products sold in UK supermarkets.However, palm oil is now starting to be used as an ingredient in bio-diesel and as a fuel to be burnt in power stations to produce electricity. This is a new market for palm oil which has the potential to dramatically increase global demand for this commodity. The development of the oil palm industry in Indonesia and Malaysia has brought economic benefits to both these countries. However it has also generated considerable environmental and social costs. The development of oil palm plantations is one of the biggest causes of rain forest clearance. The palm oil industry has already set up 6.5 million hectares of oil palm plantations across Sumatra and Borneo but it is estimated that it is probably responsible for the destruction of 10 million hectares of rain forest. By clearing the forest first, plantation companies can offset the start up costs of their plantations. The profits are so large that some oil palm companies clear the land and don’t even bother to set up the plantation. There is therefore a strong incentive for oil palm companies to seek concessions and access to land that is heavily forested. Oil palm plantation development also poses the greatest threat to the survival of many species, including the orang-utan. Oil palm plantations could be responsible for at least half of the observed reduction in orang-utan habitat in the decade between 1992 and 2003. Tropical deforestation due to agricultural expansion, logging and infrastructure development already contributes between 10 and 30 per cent of greenhouse global emissions. 

The impact of a rising global demand for palm oil 

The new demand for palm oil to be used as a bio fuel or as biomass for electricity production is potentially massive. In the UK the conversion of just one oil fired power station to palm oil could alone double UK imports.15 By 2020 Indonesia’s oil palm plantations are projected to triple in size to 16.5 million hectares – an area the size of England and Wales combined. 16 Friends of the Earth is greatly concerned that the increase in plantation area will lead directly and indirectly to the further clearance of a huge area of rainforest. In August 2005 the Government of Indonesia announced a project to build the world’s largest oil palm plantation on Borneo, along the Malaysian border, which proposed to slice right through the middle of the last large remaining rainforest area and a number of national parks.

Conclusion 

Friends of the Earth believe that the UK food and household products industry must convert their current demand for palm oil to demand for sustainable palm oil. They should join the RSPO and buy RSPO certified palm oil as soon as it is available. However, since the potential demand for palm oil as a bio-fuel or for biomass energy is so large and given the weak governance in Indonesia and its destructive policies regarding plantation development, Friends of the Earth does not support the use in the UK of palm oil as a bio-fuel or for use as biomass for electricity production. The only exception is where palm oil is being recycled, for example by using chip fat. However it should be recognized that this source is very limited and would not be enough to support any large scale bio-fuel plants or power stations.