Where am I? Home > eu-commission

Help Stop The EU Commission From Forcing Biodiesel From Palm Oil!

With a few clicks below, you can add your voice against an issue we at the Rainforest Foundation UK and many other NGOs around the world consider to be a total scandal.

EU renewable energy legislation states that 10% of all road transport fuel in the EU will need to be “renewable” by 2020. Unfortunately this means biofuels, many of which are causing rainforest destruction and making climate change worse. Biodiesel from palm oil is one of the worst offenders. Palm oil plantations for food and fuel are the primary cause of rainforest destruction in Indonesia and Malaysia. A leaked draft EU document shows that the EU Commission would like to rename palm oil plantations as "forest" so that biodiesel from palm oil plantations can still meet EU biofuels sustainability criteria. Palm oil expansion is a major cause of deforestation and biodiesel from palm oil can create more greenhouse gas emissions than the fossil fuel it is meant to replace. Please email the new energy and environment Commissioners and ask them to change this document to give a clear message to member states that biodiesel from palm oil should not be part of sustainable EU energy provision. The leaked draft document from the EU Commission is available HERE.

Write to the new Energy Commissioner (Günter Oettinger) and Environment Commissioner (Janez Potocnik) by adding your details below and clicking the Submit button below.

* First Name
* Last Name
* Email
Address
Town
Postcode
* Country

Our request:

Dear Commissioners Potocnik and Oettinger

Congratulations on your new role in the EU Commission.

I have read with concern a copy of a draft communication from the Commission to the Council and Parliament on the issue of biofuels ("Communication from the Commission to the Council and the European Parliament on the practical implementation of the EU biofuels and bioliquids sustainability scheme and on counting rules for biofuels"). I am hoping that in your new role you will be able to amend some of this draft to ensure that biodiesel from unsustainable palm oil does not contribute to the EU’s renewable energy targets.

The draft document states that "a change from forest to oil palm plantation would not per se constitute a breach of the criterion" because palm oil plantations can be defined as "continuously forested areas". To call a palm oil plantation a forest is to make a grave error. It is well documented that the conversion of tropical forest to palm oil plantations causes massive biodiversity loss and, even more importantly in this context, greenhouse gas emissions.

The existing demand for palm oil is already responsible for massive rainforest destruction in Indonesia and Malaysia. These and other countries are now ramping up production to meet rapidly rising biofuel demand. By including biodiesel from palm oil in the obligatory EU biofuel mix we will be further accelerating rainforest destruction and causing even more greenhouse gas emissions. I find it appalling that the Commission intends to ensure that Member States cannot apply stricter sustainability standards than the ones you impose. This is tantamount to forcing palm oil on EU countries, whether they like it or not.

Sustainable biofuels may have a role to play in a climate friendly energy mix. Biodiesel from palm oil does not. The Commission should be doing all it can to ensure that the vast majority of palm oil does not count towards the renewable obligations, however with this draft document it appears that the Commission is bending over backwards to ensure palm oil gets through.

I understand that there is still an opportunity to rectify this mistake and avoid the terrible consequences it would cause. Please could you ensure that your colleagues on the Commission amend the draft document and give a clear communication to the Parliament and Council that biodiesel from palm oil plantations on tropical rainforest cannot meet EU sustainability criteria.

Yours sincerely

Please enter your contact details here. The mail will then be sent to the addressee in the text above. Your data will be saved for campaigns by the Rainforest Foundation UK only.

Donate

Photogallery

Publications

Run for Rainforest

Yorkshire In Peru?

Rainforest Blog