2000 Indonesian islands "to disappear by 2030"
...or so says Rachmat Witoelar, the Indonesian Environment Minister, according to a report on Alertnet.
An important part of the answer, he suggests, will be increased biofuel production, which will reduce emissions. So, Minister, how much additional land would need to go under palm oil to make a difference?
An important part of the answer, he suggests, will be increased biofuel production, which will reduce emissions. So, Minister, how much additional land would need to go under palm oil to make a difference?
posted by Caspar Henderson at
11:05 pm
2 Comments:
It takes more energy input to make a unit of biofuel, so this certainly isn't an option unless you want half the population engaged in hand-processing just to fuel the other half of the population.
I think that biofuel talks are (for now) just a political strategy to draw votes.
I agree that talk of biofuels is likely to be largely for other political reasons.
The net energy balance for biofuel production is more favourable in tropical countries like Indonesia and Brazil than it is in, for example, the US. In the Indonesian case, however, land use in a land hungry country and protection of remaining old growth rainforest may be more of an issue.
(see also http://jebin08.blogspot.com/2007/01/hard-question.html)
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home