Forests Paying the Price for Biofuels

Forests Paying the Price for Biofuels
    By Fred Pearce
    NewScientist.com

    Tuesday 22 November 2005

    The drive for "green energy" in the developed world is having the perverse effect of encouraging the destruction of tropical rainforests. From the orangutan reserves of Borneo to the Brazilian Amazon, virgin forest is being razed to grow palm oil and soybeans to fuel cars and power stations in Europe and North America. And surging prices are likely to accelerate the destruction

    The rush to make energy from vegetable oils is being driven in part by European Union laws requiring conventional fuels to be blended with biofuels, and by subsidies equivalent to 20 pence a litre. Last week, the British government announced a target for biofuels to make up 5 per cent of transport fuels by 2010. The aim is to help meet Kyoto protocol targets for reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

    Rising demand for green energy has led to a surge in the international price of palm oil, with potentially damaging consequences. "The expansion of palm oil production is one of the leading causes of rainforest destruction in south-east Asia. It is one of the most environmentally damaging commodities on the planet," says Simon Counsell, director of the UK-based Rainforest Foundation. "Once again it appears we are trying to solve our environmental problems by dumping them in developing countries, where they have devastating effects on local people."

    The main alternative to palm oil is soybean oil. But soya is the largest single cause of rainforest destruction in the Brazilian Amazon. Supporters of biofuels argue that they can be "carbon neutral" because the CO2 released from burning them is taken up again by the next crop. Interest is greatest for diesel engines, which can run unmodified on vegetable oil, and in Germany bio-diesel production has doubled since 2003. There are also plans for burning palm oil in power stations.
http://www.truthout.org/issues_05/112505EB.shtml

colza is the best alternative

BIODIESEL FROM OIL COLZA

Diesel engine and oil of colza. After the service of the 12 TG3 of March 2005 on I use of the oil of colza vegetable as substitute of the diesel oil for the diesel automobiles is followed that one of the 13 TG2 of March 2005 (edition 13:00). Confirmation also in this service I use it of the oil of colza, buyable near whichever supermarket, like substitute of the diesel oil. From how much he learns himself from the service of the TG2 some consumers would even succeed to manufacture it in house. He specifies himself but that I use it of the oil of colza as fuel evades the Italian state treasury and the inland duties previewed for the fuel payment every (sees history of the inland duties ).

The oil of colza costs the half of the diesel oil, approximately 65 cent to the liter, pollutes 98% in less, is an agricultural product but evidently it remains indigestible to someone. The norm previews its uses miscelato within the roof of 5% with the traditional diesel oil, derived from the oil.

From the same Europe the norm arrives paradoxicalally that today imposes the block of the traffic in the polluted cities from thin powders just because of the caused atmospheric pollution from the derived fossil sources from the oil. Block of the traffic, euro3, euro4 etc. they would have therefore one immediate answer with the biodiesel. An article de the Republic of 13 March 2005 (page 19) ribadisce:

" the biodiesel it is oil of colza, already ready in order working with whichever motor, while with the oil of colza of the supermarket the smoke wants some caution to us (...) will be in compensation less polluting than that one of the diesel oil. Performances and consumptions are identical "(Republic 13/3/2005).

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=it&u=http://www.ecoage.com/biodiesel-olio-colza.htm&prev=/search%3Fq%3Dcolza%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dsafari%26rls%3Den%26sa%3DG