Biodiesel – a positive answer to climate change?

By: Maria Clara Valencia on December 4th, 2009

The expansion of palm plantations in Colombia is causing concern among environmentalists  worldwide because they fear that, just as  in Indonesia and Malaysia, these plantations may be taking land where today there are natural forests.

The growth of the palm oil crop, one of the most profitable in the world, is  driven mainly by demand for biofuels.  Colombia is expected to become the third largest palm oil producer in the world.

Several organizations, including the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), are promoting a plan called the Forest Conversion Programme, which aims to prevent the expansion of palm plantations in forests of high conservation value.

Rod Taylor of WWF told the environmental magazine Catorce 6 during the XIII World Forestry Congress in Buenos Aires recently of the importance of promoting the sustainable cultivation of palm oil.

“We promote the use of standards for sustainable production”, he said. “The question is whether firms in Colombia will be part of this system or not. So far some have shown interest and others not.”

Taylor explained that companies certified under the Forest Conversion Programme must demonstrate compliance with a standard that takes into account, primarily, respect for nature, appropriate relationships with local communities, and the promotion of responsible consumption.

“Becoming certified is a good opportunity to prove that they are not affecting forests, because international agencies will go to verify the situation. If it is true they are doing it right they will benefit from this certification, because they could use it as an advertising strategy”, he said.

The problem of palm oil plantations is that when they affect natural forests the carbon the ecosystems contain is  released, and also the people who depend on the forest for their living are affected, said Taylor.

He said another big issue was the way palm oil was consuming areas that could be used for the production of other foods. “Europe has a very clear policy about not buying bioenergy that is displacing food sources or that is causing the elimination of natural forest”, he said.

Derek Byerlee of the World Bank spoke during the Congress about the huge increase in land needed for the production of first generation biofuels (palm included).

Palm, he said, is one of the fastest-growing crops in Latin America, mainly because of its efficiency and because several countries, including Colombia, are moving toward using biodiesel.

“It is not profitable to protect the forest in comparison with palm cultivation,” he said.

To prevent the expansion of these plantations, he said, there was a need for new incentives for conservation and for promoting strategies such as the UN’s proposed Reducing Emissions from Deforestation in Developing Countries  (REDD) scheme.  And degraded lands should be used to grow the crop.

Byerlee also stressed the need for certification to ensure the monitoring of  codes of behaviour among producers.

He said palm crops had tripled worldwide in the last 15 years. In 2008 alone 36 million hectares were used worldwide to produce biofuels. At this rate of growth the number would rise to 100 million hectares in 2030, he said.

Data from the British Global Canopy group shows that 42 million tonnes of palm oil were produced in 2007, 80% from Indonesia and Malaysia. Among other big producers are  Colombia, Thailand, Nigeria, Brazil, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Liberia. All are planning to expand production.

China is the largest palm oil consumer, importing 18% of global supply. About 16% goes to the European Union.

Palm oil is in an estimated 10% of the products found in European supermarkets, from soap and toothpaste to chocolate, bread, butter and cereal.

If it is grown sustainably, however, palm oil is said to have many advantages. It is highly productive compared with other major oilseed crops and its cultivation and processing require less fertilizer, pesticide, and fuel energy.

Palm oil also represents an economic opportunity for hundreds of thousands of small farmers and gives governments more tools to fight poverty, proponents say.

“For these reasons, penalizing palm oil expansion per se is not feasible or economically responsible. Urgent efforts must instead be focused on ensuring it comes from sustainable sources and minimizing deforestation risks”, concludes the Foundation.