Europe’s biodiesel industry in crisis while Monbiot calls for a moratorium
Planet Ark reports that Europe’s biodiesel industry is facing trying times with over-capacity, falling retail sales and a new biofuel tax to be implemented in Germany. Germany, the EU’s largest biodiesel producer is facing a crisis with sales at petrol pumps currently down by about 30 to 40 percent compared to December 2006, and Petra Sprick, CEO of biofuels industry association VDB says “If the government further raises taxes on biodiesel in 2008 as it plans, the whole industry will close down.” German production is being cut and the first biodiesel refinery, BioWerk Kleisthohe, has actually stopped production at its 6,500 tonne a year plant. Meanwhile in the UK , Britain’s largest biodiesel producer Biofuels Corp plc announced earlier this month that due to unfavourable market conditions it had restricted production to 25 percent of capacity in January and February and output would remain low for the immediate future.
In New Zealand, starting in April 2008, the government will require 3.4 per cent of the total fuel sold by oil companies to be biofuels by 2012 through varying mixes of bioethanol and biodiesel. UK climate activist George Monbiot, is calling for a 5 year freeze on all targets and incentives for biofuels, until a second generation of fuels can be produced for less than it costs to make fuel from palm oil or sugar cane. On his recent blog posting he writes:
Already we know that biofuel is worse for the planet than petroleum. The UN has just published a report suggesting that 98% of the natural rainforest in Indonesia will be degraded or gone by 2022. Just five years ago, the same agencies predicted that this wouldn’t happen until 2032. But they reckoned without the planting of palm oil to turn into biodiesel for the European market. This is now the main cause of deforestation there and it is likely soon to become responsible for the extinction of the orang-utan in the wild.
March 28th, 2007 at 10:55 pm
This is a good thing. I (now, after several months of thought) believe that biofuels should be nipped in the bud, they are a loser.
The enemy is the internal combustion engine. It wastes most of the energy painstakingly acquired from the sun by growing crops, and expensively processed into liquid fuel.
The ICE has only been useful to us because the fuel was practically free (just had to be pumped out of the ground). Trying to run ICEs sustainably is pushing shit uphill with a sharp stick.
March 29th, 2007 at 2:35 am
The Independent (UK) has a report on biofuels:
The Big Green Fuel Lie
George Bush says that ethanol will save the world. But there is evidence that biofuels may bring new problems for the planet
http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/climate_change/article232882 1.ece
And New Scientist also covered this theme linking to various studies on biofuels that seem to say the jury is out, they could be good or bad, the devil is in the details etc etc
http://environment.newscientist.com/article/dn11325-bush-to-back-bioet hanol–but-benefits-are-in-the-balance.html
March 29th, 2007 at 12:37 pm
And climate change blog Celsias has a great round-up of links to evidence why biofuels are bad news:
http://www.celsias.com/blog/2007/03/28/biofuels-its-getting-annoying-n ow/
March 29th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Thanks for the links stuey …
More “Think Big for MY Pocket” solutions, that historically have created havoc for this Planet and its life forms.
Factoring that propensity into the challenges we must face, makes the size of mess that Homo sapiens has created even more depressing!
WHAT hope do we realistically have to make the future a co-operative exercise? …. and HOW best do we go about this?
April 6th, 2007 at 12:43 pm
Before this thread disappears from the immediately obvious “top ten” first page threads … I’d like to ask those who (like me) have “the future of life in Aotearoa/NZ” in their thoughts as they live their daily lives:
How can/should we go about making sure that the many “busy” people who rely on “sound bite” information are made FULLY aware of the changes that will be required in all our lifestyles:
… that it will NOT be a matter of “life as usual” if we just convert our vehicles etc from petroleum products to biofuels (which will NOT be conveniently grown just for all of us by enterprising farmers.)
… and that “life as we have come to expect it” WILL require changes from everyone (as the problems created will not be solved by the seekers of a few “entrepreneurial opportunities”.)
… and that serious and well thought out changes need to be underway NOW
… with ALL of us involved in this?
“Brain stormers” are welcome to throw in the ideas that are in the back of their minds … or their conscious thoughts at this time!
April 6th, 2007 at 2:51 pm
It would be great if sustainable thinking could simply be part of how the media presents their stories every day. Instead of ads and TV programs constantly pushing big cars and international travel ….
In the meantime, environmentally-minded people can walk the talk, and also spread the word, e.g. send links to websites like http://www.idealbite.com/ to friends and family.