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<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Todd, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>I understand those points, but please look again at
the questions I raised. Not all biofuels are generated by destroying rainforests
(for example in Ireland we grow rape seed in ordinary fields that would
otherwise be fallow, without damaging the hedgerows) and the plain fact is
that our societies are based on automotive vehicles using combustible
fuels. Bus operators can't just park up their existing fleet of buses
because there is no ecologically-pure fuel available.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Now, for a simple person like myself who is
involved at the operational end of things, are biofuels a red herring when
looking for cleaner fuels and inherently unsound in themselves; or in a
conventional setting, is it better to use them than to use petroleum or gas
fuels? </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>BTW, in the event that on balance biofuels are
better (or less harm) than petroleum products, I accept the point that
responsible companies should do an ecological due diligence on what they
are buying.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>With best wishes, </FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Brendan.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>_____________________________________________________________________________________<BR>From
Brendan Finn, ETTS Ltd. e-mail : <A
href="mailto:etts@indigo.ie">etts@indigo.ie</A> tel :
+353.87.2530286</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=edelman@greenidea.info href="mailto:edelman@greenidea.info">Todd
Edelman</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A
title=sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org
href="mailto:sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org">Global 'South' Sustainable
Transport</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Friday, February 02, 2007 8:58
AM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> [sustran] Re: Biofuels-
everything that shines is gold?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Destroying rainforests releases huge amounts of carbon, new
plantations <BR>destroy animal habitat, "un-used" land is home to wildlife,
and the <BR>biggest driver for "above ground oil-mining" is certainly not
public <BR>transport, but individual automobile use. So, in a way, when PT
<BR>advocates push for biofuels, they are just supporting continued
<BR>automobile use. I think the automobile industry loves it when PT
<BR>advocates join with them on "common issues", but if you look at their
<BR>representatives you will see their fingers crossed firmly behind their
<BR>backs.<BR><BR>Here are some more resources:<BR><<A
href="http://petroleum.berkeley.edu/patzek/index.htm">http://petroleum.berkeley.edu/patzek/index.htm</A>><BR><<A
href="http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/palm_oil_biofuel_position.pdf">http://www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/palm_oil_biofuel_position.pdf</A>><BR><BR>-
T<BR><BR>Brendan Finn wrote:<BR>> Can I just ask two simple questions
:<BR>> 1) Does the article describe an inherent fatal flaw of biofuels, or
<BR>> does it present examples of appalling bad practice?<BR>> 2) On
balance, when we have to use combustible fuel, are we better to <BR>> use
biofuels which go through their full carbon intake and output <BR>> cycle
now, or to use fossil fuels?<BR>> With best wishes,<BR>>
Brendan.<BR>>
_____________________________________________________________________________________<BR>>
From Brendan Finn, ETTS Ltd. e-mail : <A
href="mailto:etts@indigo.ie">etts@indigo.ie</A> <BR>> <<A
href="mailto:etts@indigo.ie">mailto:etts@indigo.ie</A>> tel :
+353.87.2530286<BR>><BR>> ----- Original Message
-----<BR>> *From:* Andrew Crane-Droesch <<A
href="mailto:andrew.crane-droesch@undp.org">mailto:andrew.crane-droesch@undp.org</A>><BR>>
*To:* Global 'South' Sustainable Transport<BR>>
<<A
href="mailto:sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org">mailto:sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org</A>><BR>>
*Sent:* Thursday, February 01, 2007 4:32 PM<BR>>
*Subject:* [sustran] Re: Biofuels- everything that shines is
gold?<BR>><BR>> While skepticism about many
biofuels is quite well founded, there<BR>> are
notable examples where biofuel systems avoid the
problems<BR>> cited in that article. I'm thinking
specifically about /Jatropha<BR>> curcas/, which is
an oilseed shrub that can grow in arid
climates<BR>> and degraded soils. It provides
erosion control, has medicinal<BR>> value, and can
be grown in areas where it will not compete
with<BR>> food
crops.<BR>> However, it has mostly been worked with
in the context of rural<BR>> sustainable
development, less so at the scale to which it would
be<BR>> relevant to urban
transport.<BR>> Besides, a congested city in which
the cars are running on biofuel<BR>> is not much
more desirable than a congested city in which the
cars<BR>> are running on fossil fuel. And it could
perhaps be worse, given<BR>> that different types
of biodiesel can emit significantly greater<BR>>
quantities of
NOx.<BR>><BR>> -----
Original Message -----<BR>>
*From:* Carlos F. Pardo SUTP <<A
href="mailto:carlos.pardo@sutp.org">mailto:carlos.pardo@sutp.org</A>><BR>>
*To:* Global 'South' Sustainable
Transport<BR>> <<A
href="mailto:sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org">mailto:sustran-discuss@list.jca.apc.org</A>>
; Newmobility Cafe<BR>>
<<A
href="mailto:NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com">mailto:NewMobilityCafe@yahoogroups.com</A>><BR>>
*Sent:* Wednesday, January 31, 2007 9:00
AM<BR>> *Subject:*
[sustran] Biofuels- everything that shines is
gold?<BR>><BR>>
*Scientists are taking 2nd look at
biofuels*<BR>> By Elisabeth
Rosenthal<BR>> Wednesday,
January 31, 2007<BR>>
AMSTERDAM - International Herald
Tribune<BR>><BR>>
*Original source:<BR>>
*http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/01/30/business/biofuel.php<BR>><BR>>
Just a few years ago, politicians and green groups in
the<BR>> Netherlands were
thrilled by the country's early and
rapid<BR>> adoption of
"sustainable energy," achieved in part by
coaxing<BR>> electricity
plants to use some biofuel — in particular,
palm<BR>> oil from
Southeast
Asia.<BR>><BR>> Spurred
by government subsidies, energy companies became
so<BR>> enthusiastic that
they designed generators that
ran<BR>> exclusively on the
oil, which in theory would be cleaner
than<BR>> fossil fuels like
coal because it is derived from
plants.<BR>><BR>> But
last year, when scientists studied practices at
palm<BR>> plantations in
Indonesia and Malaysia, this green fairy
tale<BR>> began to look
more like an environmental
nightmare.<BR>><BR>>
Rising demand for palm oil in Europe brought about the
razing<BR>> of huge tracts
of Southeast Asian rain forest and the
overuse<BR>> of chemical
fertilizer there. Worse still, space for
the<BR>> expanding palm
plantations was often created by draining
and<BR>> burning peat land,
which sent huge amount of carbon
emissions<BR>> into the
atmosphere.<BR>><BR>>
Factoring in these emissions, Indonesia had quickly become
the<BR>> world's
third-leading producer of greenhouse gases
that<BR>> scientists
believe are responsible for global warming,
ranked<BR>> after the
United States and China, concluded a study
released<BR>> in December
by researchers from Wetlands International
and<BR>> Delft Hydraulics,
both in the
Netherlands.<BR>><BR>>
"It was shocking and totally smashed all the good reasons
we<BR>> initially went into
palm oil," said Alex Kaat, a spokesman
for<BR>> Wetlands, a
conservation
group.<BR>><BR>>
Biofuels, long a cornerstone of the quest for greener
energy,<BR>> may sometimes
produce more harmful emissions than the
fossil<BR>> fuels they
replace, scientific studies are
finding.<BR>><BR>> As a
result, politicians in many countries are rethinking
the<BR>> billions of
dollars in subsidies that have
indiscriminately<BR>>
supported the spread of all of these supposedly
"eco-<BR>> friendly" fuels,
for use in power vehicles and factories.
The<BR>> 2003 European
Union Biofuels Directive, which demands that
all<BR>> member states aim
to have 5.75 percent of
transportation<BR>> fueled
by biofuel in 2010, is now under
review.<BR>><BR>> "If
you make biofuels properly, you will reduce
greenhouse<BR>> emissions,"
said Peder Jensen, of the European
Environment<BR>> Agency in
Copenhagen. "But that depends very much on the
types<BR>> of plants and
how they're grown and processed. You can end
up<BR>> with a 90 percent
reduction compared to fossil fuels — or a
20<BR>> percent
increase."<BR>><BR>>
"Its important to take a life cycle view," he said, and not
to<BR>> "just see what the
effects are here in
Europe."<BR>><BR>> In
the Netherlands, the data from Indonesia have provoked
soul<BR>> searching, and
prompted the government to suspend palm
oil<BR>> subsidies. A
country that was a leader in green energy
in<BR>> Europe has now
become a leader in the effort to
distinguish<BR>> which
biofuels are truly environmentally sound.
The<BR>> government,
environmental groups and some of the
"green<BR>> energy"
companies in the Netherlands are trying to
develop<BR>> programs to
trace the origin of imported palm oil, to
certify<BR>> what is
produced in an eco- friendly
manner.<BR>><BR>> Krista
van Velzen, a member of Parliament, said
the<BR>> Netherlands should
pay compensation to Indonesia for
the<BR>> damage palm oil
has caused. "We can't only think, 'Does
it<BR>> pollute the
Netherlands?'"<BR>><BR>>
Biofuels are heavily subsidized throughout the
developed<BR>> world,
including the European Union and the United States,
and<BR>> enjoy tax breaks
that are given because they more expensive
to<BR>> produce than
conventional
fuel.<BR>><BR>> In the
United States and Brazil most biofuel is
ethanol,<BR>> derived from
corn and used to power vehicles. In Europe it
is<BR>> mostly local
rapeseed and sunflower oil, used to make
diesel<BR>> fuel. But as
many European countries push for more
green<BR>> energy, they are
increasingly importing plant oils from
the<BR>> tropics, since
there is simply not enough biomass at
home.<BR>><BR>> On the
surface, the environmental equation that
supports<BR>> biofuels is
simple: Since they are derived from
plants,<BR>> biofuels
absorb carbon while they are grown and release
it<BR>> when they are
burned. In theory that neutralizes their
emissions.<BR>><BR>> But
the industry was promoted long before there was
adequate<BR>> research,
said Reanne Creyghton, who runs Friends of
the<BR>> Earth's anti-palm
oil campaign in the Netherlands. "Palm
oil<BR>> was advertised as
green energy, but there was no
research<BR>> about whether
it was really
sustainable."<BR>><BR>>
Biofuelswatch, an environmental group in Britain, now say
that<BR>> "biofuels should
not automatically be classed as
'renewable<BR>> energy.'"
It supports a moratorium on subsidies until
more<BR>> research is done
to define which biofuels are truly good
for<BR>> the planet. Beyond
that, the group suggests that all
emissions<BR>> rising from
the production of a biofuel be counted
as<BR>> emissions in the
country where the fuel is actually
used,<BR>> providing a
clearer accounting of environmental
costs.<BR>><BR>> The
demand for palm oil in Europe has skyrocketed in the
past<BR>> two decades,
first for use in food and cosmetics, and
more<BR>> recently for
biofuels. This versatile and low-cost oil is
used<BR>> in about 10
percent of supermarket products, from chocolate
to<BR>> toothpaste,
accounting for 21 percent of the global market
for<BR>> edible
oils.<BR>><BR>> Palm oil
produces the most energy of all vegetable oils
per<BR>> liter when burned.
In much of Europe it is used as
a<BR>> substitute for
diesel oil, though in the Netherlands,
with<BR>> little sun for
solar power and little wind for turbines,
the<BR>> government has
encouraged its use for
electricity.<BR>><BR>>
Supported by hundreds of millions of euros in
national<BR>> subsidies,
the Netherlands rapidly became the leading
importer<BR>> of palm oil
in Europe, taking in 1.5 million tons last year,
a<BR>> figure that has been
nearly doubling annually. The Dutch
green<BR>> energy giant
Essent alone bought 200,000 tons, before
it<BR>> agreed to suspend
new purchases until a better system
for<BR>> certifying
sustainably grown palm oil could be developed.
The<BR>> company now has
replaced the palm oil it used
with<BR>> conventional
sources of energy and local
biofuels.<BR>><BR>> But
already the buoyant demand has created damage far
away.<BR>> "When you
drastically increase the demand for
agricultural<BR>> products,
that puts new pressure on the land and can
have<BR>> unintended
consequences and hidden costs," Jensen, of
the<BR>> European
Environment Agency,
said.<BR>><BR>> Friends
of the Earth estimates that 87 percent of
the<BR>> deforestation in
Malaysia from 1985 to 2000 was caused by
new<BR>> palm oil
plantations. In Indonesia, the amount of land
devoted<BR>> to palm oil
has increased 118 percent in the past eight
years.<BR>><BR>> Oil
needed by poor people for food was becoming too
expensive<BR>> for them.
"We have a problem satisfying the
Netherlands'<BR>> energy
needs with someone else's food resources,"
said<BR>> Creyghton of
Friends of the
Earth.<BR>><BR>> Such
concerns were causing intense misgivings about palm
oil<BR>> already when, in
December, scientists from
Wetlands<BR>> International
released their bombshell calculation about
the<BR>> global emissions
that palm farming on peat land
caused.<BR>><BR>> Peat
is an organic sponge that stores huge amounts of
carbon,<BR>> thereby
helping to balance global emissions. Peat land is
90<BR>> percent water. But
when it is drained, those stored gases
are<BR>> released into the
atmosphere.<BR>><BR>> To
makes matters worse, once dried, peat land is often
burned<BR>> to clear ground
for plantations. In recent years Indonesia
has<BR>> been plagued by
polluting wildfires so intense that they
send<BR>> thick clouds of
smoke over much of
Asia.<BR>><BR>> The
Dutch study estimated that the draining of peat land
in<BR>> Indonesia releases
600 million tons of carbon into
the<BR>> atmosphere a year
and that fires contributed an
additional<BR>> 1,400
million tons annually. The total, 2000 million tons,
is<BR>> equivalent to 8
percent of all global emissions
caused<BR>> annually by
burning fossil fuels, the researchers
said.<BR>><BR>> "These
emissions generated by peat drainage in Indonesia
were<BR>> not counted
before," Kaat, of Wetlands International,
said.<BR>> "It was a
totally ignored problem." For the moment Wetlands
is<BR>> backing the
certification system for palm oil imports, to
make<BR>> sure it is grown
and processed in a sustainable
manner.<BR>><BR>> But
some environmental groups are convinced that palm
oil<BR>> cannot be produced
sustainably at reasonable prices. Part
of<BR>> the reason palm oil
is now relatively inexpensive is
because<BR>> of poor
environmental practices and labor abuses, they
say.<BR>><BR>> Still,
some Dutch companies like Biox, a young company
fully<BR>> devoted to
producing energy from palm oil, are confident
there<BR>> will be a
solution and are banking on this
biofuel.<BR>><BR>> Biox
has applied to build three palm oil power plants in
the<BR>> Netherlands; the
first one gained approval just last week.
It<BR>> is currently
auditing its plantations and refineries
in<BR>> Indonesia for
sustainability.<BR>><BR>>
"Yes, there have been bad examples in the palm oil
industry,"<BR>> said Arjen
Brinkman, a company official. "But it is now
clear<BR>> that to serve
Europe's markets for biofuel and bioenergy,
you<BR>> will have to prove
that you produce it sustainably — that
you<BR>> are producing
less, not more
CO2."<BR>><BR>>
------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR>>
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NOTE to everyone who gets sustran-discuss messages via YAHOOGROUPS.
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SUSTRAN-DISCUSS is a forum devoted to discussion of people-centred, equitable
and sustainable transport with a focus on developing countries (the 'Global
South'). <BR><BR><BR>--
<BR>--------------------------------------------<BR><BR>Todd
Edelman<BR>Director<BR>Green Idea Factory<BR><BR>Korunní 72<BR>CZ-10100 Praha
10<BR>Czech Republic<BR><BR>++420 605 915 970<BR>++420 222 517 832<BR>Skype:
toddedelman<BR><BR><A
href="mailto:edelman@greenidea.eu">edelman@greenidea.eu</A><BR><A
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