Rainforests for Biodiesel?

Oil palm fruit Elaeis guineensis: It is estimated that over the next 25 years 250-300 million hectares of tropical forest are likely to be cleared for agricultural development, mostly for oil palm.

Unless demand for palm oil as a biofuel is met through oil palm grown on fallow and previously uncultivated lands, and not through clearing of valuable rainforests, palm oil as a renewable energy source is not climate-friendly, said WWF.

On the surface, the use of palm oil as an energy source appears environmentally-friendly as it replaces fossil fuels and is CO2 neutral. However, when the entire production chain of turning palm oil into a biofuel is taken into account, a different picture emerges.

A new study Rainforests for Biodiesel?, commissioned by WWF, investigated the environmental effects of oil palm cultivation, looking at various land-use changes and calculating the corresponding energy and greenhouse gas balances. It is the first study to provide an "ecobalance" calculation of palm oil cultivation.

“The use of palm oil can be either good or bad for the environment," said Imke Lübbeke, WWF Germany's bioenergy officer. "It depends on where the palm oil is grown for instance cleared forests, fallow land or plantations of other crops, and how the plantation is managed.”

The study noted that the cultivation and transport of palm oil can also produce more greenhouse gases than the fossil fuels that would otherwise be used. An example of negative greenhouse gas effects resulting from the oil palm cultivation can be found in parts of Southeast Asia when plantations are established on former peatlands and where lands are prepared using fires. Peatlands — rich densely packed soils made up of dead organic matter, mainly plants — are known as 'carbon sinks' for their ability to store more carbon per unit area than any other ecosystem. Although they occupy only 3-5% of the earth's land and fresh water surface, they absorb 25-30% of the world's carbon dioxide.

Initial estimates indicate that Indonesia has sufficient suitable fallow land, approximately 20 million hectares, to potentially meet most of the growing demand for palm oil over the next few years. “It is imperative that the use of fallow lands for oil palm cultivation be considered and prioritised before more rainforests are destroyed,” said Markus Radday, WWF Germany's tropical forest officer.

Palm oil production must also meet the criteria developed by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Certified sustainable palm oil is not yet available, but environmentalists expect it to be on the market as early as July this year.

"According to various institutions' prognoses, there is no doubt that palm oil will increasingly play a role as a source of bio-energy and in the food and consumer goods industries,” said Ms Lübbeke. “All those interested in the long-term and sustainable use of this raw material must urgently create the necessary legal framework in Germany and Europe. Voluntary agreements alone are not enough. We need binding sustainability criteria for the use of palm oil as a biofuel, which for instance would also ensure a significant reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.”


Notes to editors:

1. The study was undertaken by the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research and the Institute for Climate, Environment, Energy, both of Germany, and commissioned by WWF in Germany, Netherlands and Switzerland.
2. The RSPO is an association created by various stakeholders, including environmental and social NGOs, growers and businesses in the supply chain, to promote the growth and use of sustainable palm oil through open dialogue. It was initiated by WWF and key business players.

source: www.panda.org

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Take action at home

You can help to switch off global warming and start today - by using clean energy and cutting down on wasted energy.

10 good ideas for a start

1. Switch to renewable energy: Buy non-polluting green electricity from your electricity company. If they don't sell it, can you change power companies to one that does? Get your school, company or community to buy renewable energy, too.
2. Buy energy efficient appliances: If you're buying a washing machine, refrigerator, dish washer or oven, buy the most energy-efficient model you can afford. They might be more expensive but they pay for themselves through lower energy bills. The same is true for office equipment like computers, copiers, printers.
3. Fluorescent lamps are cheaper in the long run: Replace the lights you use most with compact fluorescent lamps. They cost more than ordinary lamps but you end up saving money because they use only around one-quarter of the electricity to prove the same light. And they last four times as long as a normal light bulb!
4. Avoid stand-by and turn off lights:Turn off televisions, videos, stereos and computers when they are not in use - they can use between 10 and 60% of the power they use when on "stand by". Turn off lights when you don't need them - it saves energy already after a minute or two. Turn off computer screens when you take a break.
5. Wash economically: Use the washing machine or dish washer only when you have a full load. Use washing powder suitable for low temperature washes and use economy programmes.
6. About your fridge: Don't leave fridge doors open for longer than necessary, let food cool down fully before putting it in the fridge or freezer, defrost regularly and keep at the right temperature. Where possible don't stand cookers and fridges/freezers next to each other.
7. Getting around and on your way to work and school: When you want to make short journeys, try walking! Use a bicycle for short trips and local shopping. It keeps you fit too and is fun too! Make more use of public transport, such as buses and trains, for longer journeys. Share care journeys with work colleagues or friends - up to a third of car mileage is accounted for by the drive to work.
8. About your car: If you have to buy a car, buy a fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly one. This will save you money and keep more CO2 from going into the atmosphere. Make sure that your tires are inflated correctly - this can save you 5% on the cost of your petrol. Turn off your engine when waiting in your car.
9. Reduce your air travel: When you travel to your holiday destination by plane you are contributing to significant emissions of climate change causing carbon dioxide. So take vacations nearer to home, or get there by other forms of transport such as train, bus or boat. If you have to fly, consider buying carbon offsets to compensate for the emissions caused by your flight.
10. Enjoy the sun!: Fit solar panels on the roof of your home. Turn your own home into a clean power station!
    

We can all do something right away.
And if we all do, something will undoubtedly change.

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Polar Bear Tracker

"Polar bears creaking under the strain"

Eight of the 13 Canadian polar bear sub-populations are either depleted or showing significant signs of stress, and future reduction of sea-ice in the Arctic could result in a loss of two-thirds of the world's polar bears within 50 years.

These facts form the backdrop to Friday’s federal Environment Minister’s National Roundtable on Polar Bears which presents a critical opportunity to ensure that Canada implements strong new measures to protect polar bears for their long-term survival.

Roughly 15,000 (two-thirds) of the world’s 20-25,000 polar bears live in Canada and face four main threats: climate change, which is reducing their sea-ice habitat; over-hunting; increasing industrialisation of critical habitats; and toxic chemicals in the Arctic food chain.

Of the eight sub-populations showing clear signs of ecological problems, five have declining numbers (western Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay, Kane Basin, Norwegian Bay, and southern Beaufort Sea), and a sixth (southern Hudson Bay) is showing clear biological signs of stress.

Two sub-populations in the central Arctic are increasing (McClintock Channel and Viscount Melville Sound) due to the cessation of past over-hunting, but are still below historic levels.

The Davis Strait sub-population may be increasing, possibly due to increased harp seal numbers. The remaining four sub-populations probably have fairly stable numbers.

“The facts are very clear, both from scientific research and from local knowledge, that climate change is occurring rapidly in the Arctic and is causing major problems for wildlife, and for northern peoples,” said Dr. Peter Ewins, Director, Species Conservation, WWF-Canada.

“The more information we gather, the more we realise that polar bears are in increasing trouble.”

WWF-Canada expects at least four major outcomes arising from this Friday’s meeting: a North American Conservation Action Plan for polar bears; strong leadership to reduce all main threats, including climate change; full protection of all critical habitats for polar bears; and major increases in resources to complete proper scientific research.

Convening a roundtable with stakeholders was the first of three key steps called for by WWF-Canada in a letter sent to Environment Minister Jim Prentice last November.

The remaining steps include working with the Nunavut government to ensure an immediate cessation of polar bear over-harvesting in the depleted Baffin Bay subpopulation until the population has recovered and a bilateral agreement with Greenland is in place; and implementing a Conservation Action Plan for Canada’s polar bears that addresses all main threats, including climate change.

“WWF completely agrees with former Environment Minister John Baird’s statement last April, when he said, ‘A declining polar bear population is not an option for Canada,’” said Ewins.

“With two-thirds of the world's polar bears, Canada has a major international responsibility to safeguard these animals and their habitats for future generations. We look forward to seeing these major outcomes and firm commitments from the Canadian government and the assembled roundtable participants. By working together effectively, we still can ensure a healthy future for polar bears.”



source: www.panda.org

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