BIOMASS HUB

A leaked EU report suggests that the European Commission may be classifying dense palm oil plantations as “forest” to allow companies to conceal an alteration of the vegetation, and in turn to retain their sustainability credentials.

Deforestation (sometimes cited as ‘indirect land use change’) has created substantial controversy over biofuels.  In countries such as Indonesia, Brazil, and Malaysia, rainforests or other virgin tropical vegetation are often cleared to make way for the planting and cultivation of biofuel energy crops like sugar and palm oil.  The lucrative biofuels trade is often more profitable than conserving forested lands, despite the important role these lands play in soaking up CO2.  While biofuels also sequester carbon dioxide while they are grown, the carbon emitted as a result of worldwide deforestation is one of the leading drivers of climate change.  Farming processes often compound these effects through the use of fertilisers, leading to the release of nitrous oxide gases which are 300 times more potent than CO2 as a greenhouse contributor.

Efforts to introduce sustainability guidelines for biofuel production have sought to reduce the attractiveness of deforestation.  In this case, however, the leaked EC report suggests that the governmental body may be condoning palm oil to protect the continent’s economic interests and investments abroad.

More information on the report is available here.