The EU is currently deciding upon its rules for classifying 'sustainable' biofuels
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Palm oil plantations could be classified as forests
Ecologist
8th February, 2010
European Commission guidance would allow biofuels to be labelled as sustainable even if forests have been destroyed to make way for the palm oil plantations
EU plans to allow palm oil plantations to be classified as 'forests' have been strongly criticised by environmental campaigners.
According to a leaked document from the European Commission, reclassifying palm plantations as forested land could be justified and allow it to meet sustainability criteria.
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'Continuously forested areas are defined as areas where trees have reached, or can reach, at least heights of 5 meters, making up a crown cover of more than 30 per cent. They would normally include forest, forest plantations and other tree plantations such as palm oil. Short rotation coppice may qualify if it fulfils the height and canopy cover criteria.
'This means,' continues the leaked document, 'for example, that a change from forest to oil palm plantation would not per se constitute a breach of the criterion. A change form short rotation coppice to annual agricultural crops could constitute a breach of the criterion.'
Sustainable biofuels
Friends of the Earth said the plans, if accepted, would allow rainforest to be destroyed to make way for palm plantations and the resulting biofuel to still be classified as sustainable.
'If the incoming Commission is serious about tackling climate change and halting biodiversity loss it needs to clean up the biofuels legacy and urgently ensure that forests are not sacrificed to fuel cars,' said Friends of the Earth agrofuels campaign coordinator Adrian Bebb.
The EU is due to publish a report on greenhouse gas emissions from biofuel production in March 2010.
A Nuffield Council consultation on next generation biofuels and whether they can be environmentally sustainable is currently under way. The deadline for public views is 15th March 2010.
Useful link
EU document on sustainability criteria for biofuels
Nuffield Council consultation on biofuels
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Users Comments
Re: Palm oil plantations could be classified as forestsWhat on earth is the EU thinking with this proposal. No one involved in the document could have seen the devastation involved when creating a palm plantation. I have and nothing produced afterwards could ever be described as environmentally friendly. | |
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Re: Palm oil plantations could be classified as forestsWhen it comes to biofuels, there is no such thing as sustainable palm oil. It is perhaps arguable that if the palm oil product is intended for foodstuffs only then by a stretch of scientific imagination then it might be called "sustainable. The issue revolves around two factors: the first is that the oil palm takes everything from the soil and gives nothing in return in terms of compostible matter. After the first cycle of oil palm planting the soil is virtually dead, requiring unsustainable amounts of fertilizers to continue even with a second planting of oil palms. Other crops subsequent to palm oil are virtually impossible to grow. The land becomes a desert. The second factor is one of quantity. assessing the demand for biofuels all of the rainforests would have to be cut to provide enough land to satisfy this demand and still there would not be enough. Land for palm oil biofuels means less land for food. Sooner or later we will have to choose between feeding humanity or diesel engines. The environmental services provided by rainforests, which are considerable (climate, water, rainfall, biodiversity, etc) are not even included in this scenario. | |
Re: Palm oil plantations could be classified as forestssee http://www.upriverprojects.org/Upriver_projects/Upriver_talk/Upriver_talk.html |
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