Biofuel Raises Human Rights Concern

Biofuel is having a rough 2008. Last week, there were claims that biofuel crops result in net increases in carbon emissions and global warming. This week, environmental groups are crying foul over human rights abuses in Indonesia, where palm oil is cultivated as a biofuel source. 

A report published by Friends of the Earth, LifeMosaic, and Sawit Watch claims that the EU’s demand for more biofuel in Europe is causing millions of hectares of forests to be destroyed in favor of palm oil plantations. Indigenous groups are being displaced as this production gears up, and 60-90 million people in Indonesia depend on the forests for their livelihood. There is also the environmental damage associated with pesticides and fertilizers that damage clean water sources, and none of this can be good for the animals in these forests.

To stem the tide, environmental groups are asking that the EU reject any policies that expand the use of biofuels. The EU currently wants biofuels such as bioethanol and biodiesel to make up 10 percent of transport fuel by 2020.

The report also claims that oil palm companies often use violent tactics as they move in to convert the land to plantations. For these reasons, environmental groups want the EU to direct its energies on fuel conservation, insisting that all new cars are designed to be super-efficient.

"The UK government must also take a strong position against the 10% target in Europe and do its bit to reduce transport emissions by improving public transport and making it easier for people to walk and cycle," said Friends of the Earth biofuels campaigner, Hannah Griffiths.

It’s becoming more and more clear that cultivating crops for the sole purpose of creating biofuel may not be such a great idea. So, until new technologies exist that are able to convert biomass and plant waste, such as corn husks, into biofuel, maybe it's time to slow down the biofuel movement.