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