New report calls for ‘reality check’ on biofuels

Biofuelwatch, 03 July 2007

Tony Hotland, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Paris, 3 July 2007. For immediate release.

The rush for ‘biofuels’ is already causing serious damage, according to a new report by 11 civil society organisations from around the world.

Agrofuels – towards a reality check in nine key areas sets out considerable evidence that the spread of what are more accurately called ‘agrofuels’ – liquid fuels produced from biomass grown in large-scale monocultures, mostly in the global south – ... read more

Posted on 10:03 PM in Agro Fuels, Indonesia, Publications, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), biomass, carbon, palm oil, plantations, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

(Deutsch) Biokraftwerke verbrennen Regenwald

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German version

Posted on 02:47 PM in Agro Fuels, Indonesia, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), Indonesia, Kalimantan / Borneo, carbon, palm oil, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

Response of environmentalists to Malaysian and Indonesian Palm Oil PR initiative

8th June 12007

Press release

Prepared by Watch Indonesia! and www.biofuelwatch.org

The Malaysian and Indonesian governments, and Malaysian Palm Oil Council, are undertaking a PR tour promoting Palm Oil production. This week a series of talks and seminars with EU legislators are being given in London, Brussels and Holland. http://www.btimes.com.my/Current_News/BT/Monday/Nation/BT625654.txt/Article/ http://www.planetark.com/dailynewsstory.cfm?newsid=42181&newsdate=28-May-2007 European policy makers must be aware that there are many unanswered concerns remain for European NGOs about the sustainability and human rights of Palm Oil production. These are critical ... read more

Posted on 09:27 AM in Agro Fuels, Joint Press Releases & Statements, Indonesia, Publications, Environment & Climate
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), European Union (EU), indigenous people, Indonesia, palm oil, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

Open Letter to the Members of European Parliament – Re: EU Biofuel Policy

4th June 2007

URGENT: re amendments and vote on the Draft Opinion on A Roadmap for Renewable Energy in Europe (Rapporteur: Britta Thomsen)

Dear Madam/Sir, As you know, the European Commission is currently working on a proposal for a revised Biofuels Directive, expected to be published in autumn. According to these plans, 10% of all transport fuels have to be biofuels by 2020. Many organisations now prefer to call biofuels ‘agrofuels’, since the word ‘bio’ fuels creates an image ... read more

Posted on 09:41 AM in Agro Fuels, Joint Open Letters, Human Rights, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Publications, Environment & Climate
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), poverty, biodiversity, food security, European Union (EU), indigenous people, Indonesia, land rights, human rights, palm oil, rain forest destruction

(Deutsch) Rohstoffe – Fluch oder Segen?

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German version

Posted on 03:58 PM in Indonesia, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), illegal logging, Indonesia, palm oil, plantations, rain forest destruction, Sumatra, environment and climate

(Deutsch) Holzraubbau und Brandrodung bedrohen Sumatras Urwald

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German version

Posted on 01:07 PM in Indonesia, Publications, Pulp & Paper, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), illegal logging, Indonesia, disasters, palm oil, pulp and paper, plantations, rain forest destruction, Sumatra, environment and climate

(Deutsch) Run auf Bio-Diesel tötet Orang-Utans

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German version

Posted on 01:26 PM in Agro Fuels, Indonesia, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: Indonesia, palm oil, plantations, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

(Deutsch) Fremdwort Nachhaltigkeit

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German version

Posted on 02:03 PM in Agro Fuels, Indonesia, Land & Indigenous Rights, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: Indonesia, palm oil, plantations, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

Letter to Ministers to abandon EU biofuel targets

Februrary 2007

Dear Minister,

OVER 160 ENVIRONMENTAL, DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL ORGANISATIONS CALL UPON THE EU TO ABANDON BIOFUEL TARGETS.

In the build up to the EU Council meeting of Energy Ministers on February 14th, we are writing to you to highlight the concern of many organisations worldwide about proposed EU targets for biofuels. We are calling on you and your government to reject the proposal for EU-wide targets for biofuel use. At the time of writing over 160 organisations from Europe and the ... read more

Posted on 09:56 AM in Agro Fuels, Joint Open Letters, Indonesia, Publications, Environment & Climate
Tags: agrofuel ("biofuel"), European Union (EU), Indonesia, palm oil, rain forest destruction, environment and climate

Ethical fuels?

EuropeanVoice.com, Vol. 13 No. 4: 1 February 2007

Germany provides an excellent example of the growing debate in Europe over the use of biofuels.

Influential non-governmental organisations, political voices and ordinary citizens have called for decades for the replacement of fossil fuels, so many localities jumped at the idea of biofuels as a way to increase their use of renewable energy. Local governments planned to use biofuels in local heating systems and indoor swimming pools around Germany while projects ... read more

Posted on 02:27 PM in Agro Fuels, Indonesia, Publications, Rainforest, Environment & Climate, Watch Indonesia! in the Media
Tags: Indonesia, palm oil, plantations, rain forest destruction, environment and climate