EU biofuels policy drives deforestation, says NGO

摘要

A new report by Friends of the Earth Europe claims that the EU's biofuels policy is increasing deforestation and social conflicts in the Ketapang district of West Kalimantan province in Indonesia. The NGO's 30-page paper claims that EU policies have led to increased production of palm oil for energy with sustainability schemes failing to prevent illegal operations, deforestation and social conflicts. "Signaling strong future demands for palm oil for energy, the EU mandatory targets are an important driver of unsustainable oil palm expansion in places like Keta-rnpang right now," reads the report. Claiming ongoing land grabs and deforestation, the NGO notes that Indonesian and European sustainability schemes are too limited to prevent replacement effects. They also do not address the problem of unsustainable levels of demand. The report notes that the local Ketapang government has given licenses to grow palm plantations on 40% of the district's land surface.