ICCT study shows palm oil-derived biodiesel can be net contributor to GHG emissions
Fri 04 November 2011
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Biofuels produced from oil palm plantations established on tropical peatlands add to total greenhouse gas emissions rather than reduce them, according to a new study published by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT). As part of a series of studies on the Indirect Effects of Biofuel Production, the ICCT has released an International White Paper entitled Review of Peat Surface Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Oil Plantations in Southeast Asia.
The study says that palm oil produced in peatland areas generates 86 tonnes of carbon dioxide per hectare per year over a 50-year period, nearly double the previous estimate of 50 tonnes and significantly above the 50 tonnne estimate used previously. If taken annually, emissions over a 20-year period, as required under the EU Renewable Energy Directive, pushes the figure up to 106 tons of CO2 per year.
Undertaken by the University of Leicester for the ICCT, using a comprehensive literature review and analysis of scientific methods used to derive emissions estimates, the study looks at the effects on land use of the growth of palm oil production, specifically looking at the current understanding of likely rates of carbon and GHG emissions from peat decomposition in Southeast Asia. The report also provides guidance on an appropriate range of values and uncertainties for GHG emissions arising from peat degradation.
Ross Morrison, of the University of Leicester Department of Geography, said: “Although the climate change impacts of palm oil production on tropical peatland are becoming more widely recognised, this research shows that estimates of emissions have been drawn from a very limited number of scientific studies, most of which have underestimated the actual scale of emissions from oil palm. These results show that biofuels causing any significant expansion of palm on tropical peat will actually increase emissions relative to petroleum fuels.”
Co-researcher Sue Page cautioned: "It is important that the full greenhouse gas emissions 'cost' of biofuel production is made clear to the consumer, who may otherwise be mislead into thinking that all biofuels have a positive environmental impact...these agro-systems have also been implicated in loss of primary rainforest and associated biodiversity".
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