Rainforest Action Network agrofuels moratorium petition
by George SeldesDecember 28th, 2007 at 22:11:24
Is here. Here’s a piece that helps explain why this is necessary — Papua New Guinea is planning to clearcut 60,000 hectares (150,000 acres) …. of an 80,000 hectare (200,000 acre) island! … to grow palm oil for biodiesel.
All over the world, the agrofuels industry is racing ahead of awareness of what it means to clear cut tropical forests in order to create monoculture plantations to make biodiesel. Many in Oregon are aware that ethanol is a loser, but haven’t yet grasped the havoc that biodiesel is causing on the richest, most diverse, most threatened ecosystems on earth, the tropical rainforests.
ALERT: Papua New Guinea’s Woodlark Island Rainforests to Be Cleared for Oil Palm Agrofuels
TAKE ACTION: The PNG government continues to approve rainforest destruction and diminishment even as they vocally seek to be paid with carbon market funds for their “protection”. The oil palm biofuel industry — the scourge of Asia and the world’s rainforests — is continuing to expand into Papua New Guinea (PNG). Malaysian company Vitroplant has been granted necessary permits by the PNG government to begin clearing 70% of the rainforests on biodiversity rich Woodlark Island, some 60,000 hectares, in order to establish a massive plantation of oil palm trees.
Expansion of oil palm plantations at the expense of primary rainforests runs contrary to PNG’s government public support for preserving rainforests for climate and other benefits. An oil palm plantation on Woodlark Island will endanger the island’s flora and fauna, cause environmental upheaval, and result in drastic cultural change. The islanders of Woodlark have worked hard to draw international attention to this issue, and have issued an appeal for the support of international NGOs and citizens to pressure the government to withdraw the project. TAKE ACTION
December 29th, 2007 at 2:33 pm
The Oregon biofuels package that passed in 2007 explicitly excluded palm oil from all subsidies and tax credits for this very reason.
December 29th, 2007 at 6:21 pm
As many people as possible should take action because deforestation is the worst kind of environmental mismanagement, and it could prevent generation 2 biofuels from realizing their potential to displace petroleum as an energy source without adversely affecting the ecosphere.
December 29th, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Emily, I wish that helped and it was a well-intended gesture, but it’s futile to subsidize agrofuels from source A while hoping to avoid encouraging use of those from source B — because agrofuels are totally fungible, like any global commodity. Any demand anywhere contributes to total demand everywhere. By subsidizing biodiesel we help push up the overall price that tropical palm oil fetches, whether we buy any directly or not.