tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:/xml/bioenergy1 bioenergy news from mongabay.com 2009-11-24T03:54:11Z tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5160 2009-11-24T03:13:00Z 2009-11-24T03:54:11Z Efforts to slow climate change may put indigenous people at risk Efforts to slow climate change are putting indigenous people at risk, warns a new report published by Survival International, an indigenous rights' group. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5110 2009-11-10T16:40:00Z 2009-11-10T19:57:50Z Palm oil developers push into Indonesia's last frontier: Papua Oil palm developers in the Indonesian half of New Guinea are signing questionable deals that exploit local communities and put important forest ecosystems at risk, alleges a new report from Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) and Telapak. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/5065 2009-10-29T15:46:00Z 2009-10-29T16:22:59Z Carbon accounting must not neglect emissions from bioenergy production and use Carbon accounting used in the Kyoto Protocol and other climate legislation currently neglects CO2 emissions from the production of biofuels, a loophole that could drive large-scale destruction of tropical forests and exacerbate global warming, warned researchers writing last week in the journal <i>Science</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4998 2009-09-21T19:16:00Z 2009-09-21T20:01:48Z EU biofuels policy undermines governance in Indonesia, alleges report <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://travel.mongabay.com/indonesia/150/kalimantan_0034.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Indonesian authorities are failing to prevent illegal logging and conversion of protected areas for oil palm cultivation used to supply the European market with supposedly "green" biofuels, alleges a new report from Milieudefensie (Friends of the Earth Netherlands) and WALHI KalBar (Friends of the Earth Indonesia, West Kalimantan). The report, "Failing governance - Avoiding responsibilities", claims that European biofuel policies have driven reckless oil palm expansion in Ketapang District, West Kalimantan, resulting in illegal issuance of development permits and land conflicts, thereby undermining governance structures. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4996 2009-09-21T16:27:00Z 2009-09-21T17:35:16Z US subsidies of oil and coal more than double the subsidies of renewable energy During the fiscal years of 2002-2008 the United States handed out subsidies to fossil fuel industries to a tune of 72 billion dollars, while renewable energy subsidies, during the same period, reached 29 billion dollars. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4986 2009-09-18T11:04:00Z 2009-09-18T11:37:59Z Brazil may ban sugarcane plantations from the Amazon, Pantanal Brazil will restrict sugarcane plantations for ethanol production from the Amazon, the Pantanal, and other ecologically-sensitive areas under a plan announced Thursday by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's administration, reports the Associated Press. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4840 2009-08-13T17:48:00Z 2009-08-13T19:35:08Z Will hydrocarbon biofuels replace gasoline and ethanol? In a Perspectives piece in <i>Science</i>, John R. Regalbuto argues that the world will soon see a revolution in biofuels, but not those made from corn. Instead Regalbuto, program director of Catalysis and Biocatalysis at the National Science Foundation, says that the future of biofuels is in substances that can be converted into hydrocarbons, such as switch grass, woody biomass, corn stover, and even algae. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4805 2009-08-06T22:43:00Z 2009-08-11T04:34:26Z Limit palm oil development to lands that store less than 40 tons of carbon/ha - study A new study finds oil palm plantations store less carbon than previously believed, suggesting that palm oil produced through the conversion of tropical forests carries a substantial carbon debt. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4742 2009-07-16T20:51:00Z 2009-07-16T20:52:19Z Beer waste to be used for home biofuel production Southern California residents will soon be able to produce their own ethanol fuel from beer residue. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4739 2009-07-16T18:25:00Z 2009-07-16T19:20:43Z Smart biofuels that don't hurt people or the environment are possible <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/09/chart-palm-corn-soy-150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Sustainable biofuels can be a reality but only in combination with reductions in fuel demand and increased productivity on existing agricultural lands, argue researchers writing in the journal <i>Science</i>. Five years ago biofuels were seen as a panacea for the world's energy hunger and the need to address climate change, but increased production of biofuels soon contributed to a clutch of problems, including competition with food, resulting in rising prices, and large-scale conversion of rainforests and tropical grasslands for feedstocks, resulting in biodiversity loss and increased greenhouse gas emissions. Environmentalists and scientists condemned many biofuels &#8212; including ethanol produced from Midwestern corn ethanol and biodiesel generated from European rapeseed and Southeast Asian palm oil &#8212; as a short-sighted energy solution. Some biofuels were found to be even worse for the environment, and more costly, than conventional gasoline. However some researchers remain optimistic that smart biofuel production could help meet energy demand without hurting people or the planet. In a <i>Science</i> Policy Forum piece, David Tilman and colleagues explore some of these options, noting that biofuels can be produced in substantial quantities at low environmental cost Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4676 2009-06-25T01:58:00Z 2009-06-25T04:02:36Z Brazilian miner Vale signs $500M palm oil deal in the Amazon <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://travel.mongabay.com/costa_rica/150/costa-rica-d_0626a.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Vale, the world's largest miner of iron ore, has signed a $500 million joint venture with Biopalma da Amazonia to produce 160,000 metric tons of palm oil-based biodiesel per year, reports Reuters. Vale says the deal will save $150 million in fuel costs starting in 2014, with palm oil biodiesel replacing up to 20 percent of diesel consumption in the company's northern operations. The biodiesel will be produced from oil palm plantations in the Amazon state of Par&aacute;. The move is likely to stir up criticism from environmentalists that fear palm oil production could soon become a major driver of deforestation in the region. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4555 2009-05-19T17:32:00Z 2009-05-24T15:56:01Z Congo biochar initiative will reduce poverty, protect forests, slow climate change <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/09/0519biochar150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>An initiative using soil carbon enrichment techniques to boost agricultural yields, alleviate poverty, and protect endangered forests in Central Africa was today selected as one of six projects to win funding under the Congo Basin Forest Fund (CBFF). The scientific committee of the CBFF awarded Belgium's Biochar Fund and its Congolese partner ADAPEL &euro;300,000 to implement its biochar concept in 10 villages in the Equateur Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The approach improves the fertility of soils through the introduction of "biochar" &#8212; charcoal produced from the burning of agricultural residues and waste biomass under reduced oxygen conditions &#8212; thereby increasing crop yields and reducing the need to clear forest for slash-and-burn agriculture. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/4531 2009-05-07T17:34:00Z 2009-05-12T15:52:37Z Bioelectricity bests ethanol on two fronts: land use and global warming <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/09/0512ethanol_vs_electricity150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Yesterday the Obama Administration established a Biofuels Interagency Working Group to oversee implementation of new rules and research regarding biofuels. On the group’s first day of work they would do well to look at a new study in <i>Science Magazine</i> comparing the efficacy of ethanol versus bioelectricity. Jeremy Hance tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3559 2008-12-17T05:37:00Z 2008-12-17T05:51:36Z Biochar and its Role in Mitigating Climate Change <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/08/1216biochar150.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>The growing concerns about climate change have brought biochar, a charcoal produced from biomass combustion, into limelight. Biochar is a carbon-rich, fine-grained residue which can be produced either by ancient techniques (such as covering burning biomass with soil and allowing it to smolder) or state-of-the-art modern pyrolysis processes. Combustion and decomposition of woody biomass and agricultural residues results in the emission of a large amount of carbon dioxide. Biochar can store this CO2 in the soil leading to reduction in GHGs emission and enhancement of soil fertility. Biochar holds the promise to tackle chronic human development issues like hunger and food insecurity, low agricultural productivity and soil depletion, deforestation and biodiversity loss, energy poverty, air pollution and climate change. Thus, biochar could make a difference in the energy-starved countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America as well as the industrialized world with its vast array of benefits. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/24 2008-12-09T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:06:09Z Finland, Sweden push for loophole that would drive destruction of peatlands around the world Finland and Sweden are pushing for a loophole in the E.U.'s Renewable Energy Directive that would open up vast tracts of peatlands around the world to development for biofuels production. The move could have drastic consequences for climate and biodiversity, warns Wetlands International, an environmental group. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3507 2008-11-14T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:55Z Cheetah conservationist awarded for renewable energy product that helps wildlife Dr. Laurie Marker, founder and Executive Director of the <a target=_blank href=http://www.cheetah.org>Cheetah Conservation Fund</a> (CCF), has been awarded $50,000 by the Tech Museum of Innovation for her organization's Bushblok program which uses a high-pressure extrusion process to convert invasive, habitat-destroying bush into a clean-burning fuel log. Bushblok provides an alternative to products such as firewood, coal, lump charcoal and charcoal briquettes that are costly or result in environmental harm. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3523 2008-11-11T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:59Z Biodiversity of rainforests should not be compared with oil palm plantations says palm oil council chief Scientists should compare the biodiversity oil palm plantations to other industrial monocultures, not the rainforests they replace, said Dr. Yusof Basiron, CEO of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), in a post on his blog. Basiron's comments are noteworthy because until now he has maintained that oil palm plantations are "planted forests" rather than an industrial crop. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3530 2008-11-10T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:16:00Z First RSPO-certified ("eco-friendly") palm oil shipment to arrive in Europe The first shipment of palm oil certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is expected to arrive in Europe Tuesday, but an environmental group is already criticizing the initiative's credentials. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3537 2008-11-07T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:16:01Z EU's sustainable biofuels push angers Malaysia, Brazil Eight developing countries threatened to file a World Trade Organization complaint against the E.U. for its proposed legislation to require imported biofuels to meet environmental standards, reports Reuters. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3380 2008-10-27T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:32Z Air travel may be powered by biofuels in 3-5 years Boeing says biofuel-powered planes are only three-to-five years away from being a reality, reports <I>The Guardian</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3418 2008-10-16T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:39Z Cellulosic biofuels endanger old-growth forests in the southern U.S. <table align="left"><tr><td><img src="http://photos.mongabay.com/08/1016ScotAtGreatDismal.jpg" align="left"/></td></tr></table>Cellulosic biofuel is on its way. This second generation biofuel &#8212; so-called because it does not involve food crops &#8212; has excited many researchers and policymakers who hope for a sustainable energy source that lowers carbon emissions. However, some believe that cellulosic biofuel may prove less-than-perfect. Just as agricultural biofuels have gone from being considered &#x27;green&#x27; to an environmental disaster, some think the new rush to cellulosic biofuel will follow the same course. Scot Quaranda is one of those concerned about cellulosic biofuel&rsquo;s impact on the environment. Campaign director at Dogwood Alliance, which he describes as &quot;the only organization in the Southern US holding corporations accountable for the impact of their industrial forestry practices on our forests and our communities&quot;, Quaranda condemns cellulosic biofuels as dangerous to forests &ldquo;by its very definition&rdquo;. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3468 2008-10-02T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:48Z U.S. needs environmental standards for biofuels The U.S. lacks criteria to ensure that cellulosic ethanol production will not harm the environment, warn scientists writing in the journal <i>Science</i>. The researchers say that with proper safeguards, cellulosic ethanol can help the U.S. meet its energy needs sustainably. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3294 2008-09-24T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:14Z U.S. Congress passes legislation to boost solar, wind, and geothermal energy Tuesday the U.S. Senate passed a bill that will extend tax credits on solar power installations through 2016. The House approved the measure Wednesday. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3322 2008-09-15T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:21Z New rainforest sanctuary in Cameroon already at risk from plantations, hunting The forests of southern Cameroon bordering Gabon are biodiversity-rich and harbor important populations of gorillas, chimpanzees, and elephants. In 1998 the government of Cameroon established the Mengamé Gorilla Sanctuary and in 2002, working in close partnership with the government of Cameroon, the Jane Goodall Institute launched a project to protect habitat and biodiversity in the reserve while creating a connection between conservation and socio-economic improvement in communities bordering the sanctuary. The sanctuary now plays an important role in emerging trans-boundary protected area initiatives. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3324 2008-09-15T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:22Z 11 species of monkeys discovered in West African biodiversity hotspot Urgent conservation measures are needed to protect some of the world's most endangered primates from the hunting, logging, and oil palm development in a region that has only recently emerged from a period of civil strife, report researchers writing in the open-access journal Tropical Conservation Science. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3325 2008-09-12T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:22Z Europe cuts biofuel targets to 4% in 2015, 6% in 2020 The E.U. voted to relax biofuels targets following widespread criticism of their social, economic, and environmental impacts. Thursday the European Parliament's Industry and Energy Committee said it would push a plan calling for a 5 percent share of renewables in transport fuel by 2015 and a 10 percent target by 2020, a reduction from the 20 percent target set forth in March 2007. The plan effectively cuts targets for biofuels produced from conventional feedstocks to four percent in 2015 and six percent in 2020. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3331 2008-09-10T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:23Z Falling palm oil price makes palm biodiesel viable, may offer target for NGOs Plunging palm oil prices are increasing its attractiveness as a biofuel feedstock and thereby helping buoy demand for the oilseed, reports Reuters. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3187 2008-08-28T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:49Z Palm oil producers in Indonesia reject moratorium on forest destruction Palm oil companies operating in Indonesia have rejected a proposed moratorium on clearing forests and peatlands for oil palm plantations, reports the <i>Jakarta Post</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3188 2008-08-27T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:49Z Biofuels 200 times more expensive than forest conservation for global warming mitigation The British government should end subsidies for biofuels and instead use the funds to slow destruction of rainforests and tropical peatlands argues a new report issued by a U.K.-based think tank. The study, titled "The Root of the Matter" and published by Policy Exchange, says that "avoided deforestation" would be a more cost-effective way to address climate change, since land use change generates more emissions than the entire global transport sector and offers ancillary benefits including important ecosystem services. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3208 2008-08-21T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:52Z Biofuel production in Brazil may not hurt Amazon, food supply Biofuel production in Brazil will not affect food production or the Amazon rainforest in coming years, claimed a study released Tuesday by an economist in Sao Paulo. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3215 2008-08-20T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:53Z Brazil to establish oil palm plantations on degraded Amazon rainforest lands Brazil will allow the establishment of oil palm plantations on degraded lands in the Amazon rainforest under a agreement signed between Brazil's ministers of agriculture and the environment, reports <i>Folha de S. Paulo</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3224 2008-08-15T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:55Z Algae could yield 30 times more biofuel than soybeans, while cleaning the environment Algae could be used as a biofuel while simultaneously cleaning up the environment, report researchers at the University of Virginia. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3263 2008-08-06T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:15:06Z Brazil may ban new sugar cane cultivation in the Pantanal Brazil would restrict sugar cane cultivation in the world's largest tropical wetland under a proposed plan to protect the Pantanal, reports Reuters. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3108 2008-07-25T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:33Z Facing criticism, biofuels industry forms new lobby group to influence lawmakers Under attack by politicians, aid groups, and environmentalists for driving up food prices and fueling destruction of ecologically sensitive habitats, some of the world's largest agroindustrial firms have formed a lobby group to influence consumers and lawmakers to support continued subsidies for biofuel production, reports Reuters. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3121 2008-07-22T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:35Z Biofuels can reduce emissions, but not when grown in place of rainforests Biofuels meant to help alleviate greenhouse gas emissions may be in fact contributing to climate change when grown on converted tropical forest lands, warns a comprehensive study published earlier this month in the journal <i>Environmental Research Letters</i>. Analyzing the carbon debt for biofuel crops grown in ecosystems around the world, Holly Gibbs and colleagues report that "while expansion of biofuels into productive tropical ecosystems will always lead to net carbon emissions for decades to centuries... [expansion] into degraded or already cultivated land will provide almost immediate carbon savings." The results suggest that under the right conditions, biofuels could be part of the effort to reduce humanity's carbon footprint. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3132 2008-07-17T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:37Z Beyond high food prices, little to show for $11B/yr in biofuel support, says OECD report Government support of biofuel production in rich countries is squandering vast amounts of amounts of money while exacerbating the global food crisis and failing to meaningfully curb greenhouse gas emissions and improve energy security, alleges a new report from the OECD, the club of industrialized nations. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3162 2008-07-07T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:43Z Britain urges 'cautious approach' on biofuels Britain and the E.U. should exercise caution in pushing for wider use of biofuels, warns a new study commissioned by the U.K. government. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3011 2008-06-30T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:15Z Sarawak to continue logging forests for oil palm plantations Despite a prime minister's directive banning conversion of forest reserves for oil palm plantations, the Malaysian state of Sarawak will continue to open up forest land for oil palm plantations, reports the <i>New Straits Times</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3015 2008-06-27T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:17Z Brazil signs sustainable ethanol deal with Sweden A group of Brazilian ethanol producers has signed the first deal to export certified sustainable ethanol, reports Reuters. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3012 2008-06-26T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:16Z Sarawak to continue logging forests for oil palm plantations Despite a prime minister's directive banning conversion of forest reserves for oil palm plantations, the Malaysian state of Sarawak will continue to open up forest land for oil palm plantations, reports the <i>New Straits Times</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3019 2008-06-26T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:17Z Malaysian government says no more forest clearing for oil palm plantations The Malaysian government said it will prohibit forest clearing for the establishment of oil palm plantations. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3026 2008-06-25T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:18Z Kenya to convert 20,000 ha of key wetland for ethanol production AThe Kenyan government will allow more than 20,000 ha (50,000) of ecologically-sensitive wetland to be converted into a sugar cane plantation for biofuel production, reports The Guardian. Environmentalists were "shocked" by the decision. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3031 2008-06-23T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:19Z U.S. may allow corn farming on conservation land The U.S. Department of Agriculture may allow farmers to plant corn on million of acres of conservation land to bolster the food supply in response to flooding in the Midwest and record high prices spurred by demand for domestic ethanol production, according to a report in the New York Times. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3032 2008-06-23T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:19Z Biofuel production on abandoned lands could meet 8% of global energy needs Using abandoned agricultural lands for biofuel production could help meet up to 8 percent of global energy needs without compromising food supplies or diminishing biologically-rich habitats, reports a new study published in the journal <I>Environmental Science and Technology</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3040 2008-06-15T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:20Z Rainforests face array of emerging threats Tropical forests face a number of emerging threats said a leading biologist speaking at a scientific conference in Paramaribo, Suriname. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3046 2008-06-14T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:21Z Nestle Chairman: Biofuels are "ethically indefensible" The emergence and expansion of biofuels produced from food crops has exacerabted world's agriculture and water crisis and is a bigger short-term threat than global warming, argued Peter Brabeck-Letmathe in an editorial published Thursday in the <i>Wall Street Journal Asia</i>. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/3084 2008-06-02T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:28Z Cellulosic biofuels may be viable alternative to gas within 5 years A new institute in the San Francisco Bay Area is seeking to make cellulosic biofuel an economically viable alternative to corn ethanol and gasoline within the next five years. The Joint BioEnergy Institute (JBEI), a partnership between three national laboratories and three Bay Area universities, was formed in June 2007 after the U.S. Department of Energy awarded the institute a $125 million grant to develop better methods for making liquid biofuels from the natural cellulose in trees and grasses. JBEI researchers expect cellulosic biofuels to yield more energy, produce less greenhouse gases, and have less impact on the environment than other alternatives to gasoline, such as corn ethanol. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2949 2008-05-28T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:03Z Biofuels expansion in Africa may impact rainforests, wetlands Biofuel feedstock expansion in Africa will likely come at the expense of ecologically-sensitive lands, reports a new analysis presented by Wetlands International at the Convention of Biological Diversity in Bonn. Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2979 2008-05-16T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:08Z Global ban on biofuels would lead to immediate decline in food prices A global moratorium on biofuels produced from food crops would result in a significant decline in the price of corn, sugar, cassava and wheat by 2010, reports the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Rhett Butler tag:news.mongabay.com,2005:Article/2995 2008-05-13T14:30:39Z 2008-12-16T10:14:13Z 46% of Brazil's energy comes from renewable sources Preliminary data from Brazil's energy ministry shows that bioenergy derived from sugar cane surpassed hydroelectric power as Brazil's secondary largest source of energy in 2007, reports Biopact. Rhett Butler