bioenergy news from mongabay.com

Efforts to slow climate change may put indigenous people at risk

2009-11-24T03:13:00Z

Efforts to slow climate change are putting indigenous people at risk, warns a new report published by Survival International, an indigenous rights' group.

Palm oil developers push into Indonesia's last frontier: Papua

2009-11-10T16:40:00Z

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.

Carbon accounting must not neglect emissions from bioenergy production and use

2009-10-29T15:46:00Z

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 Science.

EU biofuels policy undermines governance in Indonesia, alleges report

2009-09-21T19:16:00Z

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.

US subsidies of oil and coal more than double the subsidies of renewable energy

2009-09-21T16:27:00Z

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.

Brazil may ban sugarcane plantations from the Amazon, Pantanal

2009-09-18T11:04:00Z

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.

Will hydrocarbon biofuels replace gasoline and ethanol?

2009-08-13T17:48:00Z

In a Perspectives piece in Science, 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.

Limit palm oil development to lands that store less than 40 tons of carbon/ha - study

2009-08-06T22:43:00Z

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.

Beer waste to be used for home biofuel production

2009-07-16T20:51:00Z

Southern California residents will soon be able to produce their own ethanol fuel from beer residue.

Smart biofuels that don't hurt people or the environment are possible

2009-07-16T18:25:00Z

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 Science. 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 — including ethanol produced from Midwestern corn ethanol and biodiesel generated from European rapeseed and Southeast Asian palm oil — 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 Science 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

Brazilian miner Vale signs $500M palm oil deal in the Amazon

2009-06-25T01:58:00Z

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 Pará. 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.

Congo biochar initiative will reduce poverty, protect forests, slow climate change

2009-05-19T17:32:00Z

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 €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" — charcoal produced from the burning of agricultural residues and waste biomass under reduced oxygen conditions — thereby increasing crop yields and reducing the need to clear forest for slash-and-burn agriculture.

Bioelectricity bests ethanol on two fronts: land use and global warming

2009-05-07T17:34:00Z

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 Science Magazine comparing the efficacy of ethanol versus bioelectricity.

Biochar and its Role in Mitigating Climate Change

2008-12-17T05:37:00Z

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.

Finland, Sweden push for loophole that would drive destruction of peatlands around the world

2008-12-09T14:30:39Z

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.

Cheetah conservationist awarded for renewable energy product that helps wildlife

2008-11-14T14:30:39Z

Dr. Laurie Marker, founder and Executive Director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (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.

Biodiversity of rainforests should not be compared with oil palm plantations says palm oil council chief

2008-11-11T14:30:39Z

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.

First RSPO-certified ("eco-friendly") palm oil shipment to arrive in Europe

2008-11-10T14:30:39Z

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.

EU's sustainable biofuels push angers Malaysia, Brazil

2008-11-07T14:30:39Z

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.

Air travel may be powered by biofuels in 3-5 years

2008-10-27T14:30:39Z

Boeing says biofuel-powered planes are only three-to-five years away from being a reality, reports The Guardian.

Cellulosic biofuels endanger old-growth forests in the southern U.S.

2008-10-16T14:30:39Z

Cellulosic biofuel is on its way. This second generation biofuel — so-called because it does not involve food crops — 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 'green' 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’s impact on the environment. Campaign director at Dogwood Alliance, which he describes as "the only organization in the Southern US holding corporations accountable for the impact of their industrial forestry practices on our forests and our communities", Quaranda condemns cellulosic biofuels as dangerous to forests “by its very definition”.

U.S. needs environmental standards for biofuels

2008-10-02T14:30:39Z

The U.S. lacks criteria to ensure that cellulosic ethanol production will not harm the environment, warn scientists writing in the journal Science. The researchers say that with proper safeguards, cellulosic ethanol can help the U.S. meet its energy needs sustainably.

U.S. Congress passes legislation to boost solar, wind, and geothermal energy

2008-09-24T14:30:39Z

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.

New rainforest sanctuary in Cameroon already at risk from plantations, hunting

2008-09-15T14:30:39Z

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.

11 species of monkeys discovered in West African biodiversity hotspot

2008-09-15T14:30:39Z

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.

Europe cuts biofuel targets to 4% in 2015, 6% in 2020

2008-09-12T14:30:39Z

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.

Falling palm oil price makes palm biodiesel viable, may offer target for NGOs

2008-09-10T14:30:39Z

Plunging palm oil prices are increasing its attractiveness as a biofuel feedstock and thereby helping buoy demand for the oilseed, reports Reuters.

Palm oil producers in Indonesia reject moratorium on forest destruction

2008-08-28T14:30:39Z

Palm oil companies operating in Indonesia have rejected a proposed moratorium on clearing forests and peatlands for oil palm plantations, reports the Jakarta Post.

Biofuels 200 times more expensive than forest conservation for global warming mitigation

2008-08-27T14:30:39Z

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.

Biofuel production in Brazil may not hurt Amazon, food supply

2008-08-21T14:30:39Z

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.

Brazil to establish oil palm plantations on degraded Amazon rainforest lands

2008-08-20T14:30:39Z

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 Folha de S. Paulo.

Algae could yield 30 times more biofuel than soybeans, while cleaning the environment

2008-08-15T14:30:39Z

Algae could be used as a biofuel while simultaneously cleaning up the environment, report researchers at the University of Virginia.

Brazil may ban new sugar cane cultivation in the Pantanal

2008-08-06T14:30:39Z

Brazil would restrict sugar cane cultivation in the world's largest tropical wetland under a proposed plan to protect the Pantanal, reports Reuters.

Facing criticism, biofuels industry forms new lobby group to influence lawmakers

2008-07-25T14:30:39Z

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.

Biofuels can reduce emissions, but not when grown in place of rainforests

2008-07-22T14:30:39Z

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 Environmental Research Letters. 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.

Beyond high food prices, little to show for $11B/yr in biofuel support, says OECD report

2008-07-17T14:30:39Z

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.

Britain urges 'cautious approach' on biofuels

2008-07-07T14:30:39Z

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.

Sarawak to continue logging forests for oil palm plantations

2008-06-30T14:30:39Z

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 New Straits Times.

Brazil signs sustainable ethanol deal with Sweden

2008-06-27T14:30:39Z

A group of Brazilian ethanol producers has signed the first deal to export certified sustainable ethanol, reports Reuters.

Sarawak to continue logging forests for oil palm plantations

2008-06-26T14:30:39Z

Malaysian government says no more forest clearing for oil palm plantations

2008-06-26T14:30:39Z

The Malaysian government said it will prohibit forest clearing for the establishment of oil palm plantations.

Kenya to convert 20,000 ha of key wetland for ethanol production

2008-06-25T14:30:39Z

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.

U.S. may allow corn farming on conservation land

2008-06-23T14:30:39Z

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.

Biofuel production on abandoned lands could meet 8% of global energy needs

2008-06-23T14:30:39Z

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 Environmental Science and Technology.

Rainforests face array of emerging threats

2008-06-15T14:30:39Z

Tropical forests face a number of emerging threats said a leading biologist speaking at a scientific conference in Paramaribo, Suriname.

Nestle Chairman: Biofuels are "ethically indefensible"

2008-06-14T14:30:39Z

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 Wall Street Journal Asia.

Cellulosic biofuels may be viable alternative to gas within 5 years

2008-06-02T14:30:39Z

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.

Biofuels expansion in Africa may impact rainforests, wetlands

2008-05-28T14:30:39Z

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.

Global ban on biofuels would lead to immediate decline in food prices

2008-05-16T14:30:39Z

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).

46% of Brazil's energy comes from renewable sources

2008-05-13T14:30:39Z

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.