PM ‘Misguided’ In Her Support For Biofuels

Strong criticism of Prime Minister Helen Clark’s promotion of biofuels in Asia has been expressed by Bryan Leyland, the chairman of the economics panel of the New Zealand Climate Science Coalition. A prominent energy consultant in Auckland, Mr Leyland said: “All the evidence points to the fact that growing crops to make biofuels is bad for the environment, deprives the local populations of much needed food and in most cases, does nothing to reduce carbon emissions. The only beneficiaries are those who grow rich on the billions of dollars in subsidies paid for biofuel production.

“The sad this part of all this is, as Fred Pearce wrote in the New Scientist (23/9/06) ‘Biofuels will trash rainforest, suck water reserves dry, kill off species and, worst of all barely slow down global warming.’ He then goes on to say ‘Producing 10% of the world's transport fuels from crops would require 9% of the planet's agricultural land.’

“Substituting biofuels for food crops has driven up the price of staple foods: the price of palm oil - a very important source of food and nutrition in Southeast Asia and in Africa - has increased by 50% in the last 12 months. In America and Europe, the price of corn has increased and grain reserves are lower than they have been for many years. Given that what we are told about global warming causing more severe droughts, a logical response would be to make sure that grain reserves are held at a safe level.

“The subsidies based on scaremongering about dangerous man-made global warming have led to massive loss of tropical forest from clear felling for palm oil plantations in Malaya, Indonesia and Borneo. Since 1999, palm oil production has increased from 7 million to 14 million tons. Clearing tropical forest for palm oil production is far worse than logging, because loggers at least leave the devastated forest to regrow. Palm oil plantations permanently destroy the habitats of Orang Utang and hundreds of other rare and endangered plants and animals. The clear felling and burning of forests for palm oil spews millions of tons of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere and blankets large parts of SE Asia in a miasma of smog every year. It is tragic that our Prime Minister could allow her misguided belief that man-made global warming is real and dangerous to override these hugely important environmental and social considerations.

“We acknowledge the Prime Minister’s concern for what she believes about man-made global warming, and emissions of carbon dioxide that, in reality, are shown by science to make little or no difference. It is unfortunate that she has been given totally misleading advice. But, given her belief that New Zealand cannot take advantage of our huge reserves of coal and lignite for the generation of electric power, and if she really wants to make a difference, she should endorse nuclear power, promote electric cars and advise against biofuels. New Zealand has the skills to help developing countries with hydropower development, with improving efficiency of existing fossil fuel fired power stations and making agriculture more energy efficient and environmentally friendly,” Mr Leyland concluded.

ENDS

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