Petition against the use of palm oil in aviation fuels. Here’s why to sign
A recurring nightmare, palm oil. It now reappears as a raw material for aviation fuels. Does the palm tree make us fly?
The ICAO, ‘International Civil Aviation Organization,’ a UN aviation agency, has published a project that envisions the large-scale use of so-called biofuels in aircraft. (1) With mind-boggling projections, 128 million tons of aviation biofuels by 2040, 285 million by 2050. To the point of equalizing fossil fuel consumption. All is well, an understatement.
Global palm oil production currently stands at around 65 million tons. European consumers’ resistance to its use in foods is clouding its growth forecast. And so it is that the insatiable palmocrats have identified a new market, one so lucrative that it is stimulating new crops. Under the pseudo-environmentalist aegis of ‘bio’-fuels, moreover, which might as well rain down public contributions in various forms.
The environmental impact of palm – according to studies by the European Commission and the EPA(Environment Protection Agency, USA) – is comparable to that of fossil fuels. The Strasbourg Parliament had adopted a bland resolution on the subject, but without gathering any follow-up from the European Commission. The influence of palmocrats on politics is nothing new. (2)
This would add to aviation’s own greenhouse gas emissions, already 5 percent of the total now, from further tropical deforestation. The unwise assumption of new palm groves following the violent deportation of indigenous peoples. Monocultures dedicated to biofuel production have covered more than 30 million hectares of land. Causing further damage to environmental impact.
Policies supporting and subsidizing biofuels are ascribed to the aggravation of land-grabbing (3) and deforestation, the destruction of ecosystems with high biodiversity. The massive use of agrotoxics in agriculture, resulting in health hazards for workers and local communities. But also the increased volatility of food prices and thus food security. (4) So much damage to produce fuels whose overall impact on the environment, (5) expressed per ton of fuel, is unmatched by petroleum derivatives.
ICAO states the goals but hides the tools to achieve them. And why make extraordinary amounts of ‘bio’-fuel? It mentions algae (and maybe it was!), scraps and waste, in a futuristic future. But the only aviation biofuels that can now be produced on a large scale are first-generation biofuels derived from vegetable oils. And therefore, palm oil. It all adds up indeed not.
Let’s sign the petition to ICAO, at https://www.salviamolaforesta.org/petizione/1063/volare-a-olio-di-palma-pessima-idea?mtu=274764121&t=2581. No to palm oil in aviation fuels!
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1) SEE https://www.icao.int/Meetings/CAAF2/Documents/CAAF.2.WP.013.4.es.pdf
(2) It is worth mentioning the wilful omission of palm-related food safety risk management. To be attributed to both Commissioner a Andriukaitis and Minister Beatrice Lorenzin
(3) Land-grabbing is defined as the robbery of land. For weekly updates, see www.farmlandgrab.org
(4) The concept of food security expresses the security of the food supply. That is, the availability of food among populations
(5) C.d. life cycle assessment
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.