EU Document Shows Plans To Reclassify Oil Palm Plantations As "Forests" - i.e. Clearcutting OK

[hatrack]

The European Union may be planning to classify oil palm plantations as forests, raising fears among environmental groups of expanded conversion of tropical rainforests for biofuel production, reports the EUobserver, which cites a leaked document from the European Commission. The draft document shows that policymakers are considering language that would specifically allow use of biofuels produced via conversion of rainforests to oil palm plantations.

"Continuously forested areas are defined as areas where trees have reached, or can reach, at least heights of 5 meters, making up a crown cover of more than 30%," states the document in laying out its definition of forest. "They would normally include forest, forest plantations and other tree plantations such as palm oil. Short rotation coppice may qualify if it fulfils the height and canopy cover criteria. This means, for example, that a change from forest to oil palm plantation would not per se constitute a breach of the criterion. A change form short rotation coppice to annual agricultural crops could constitute a breach of the criterion."

The regulations would allow the conversion of rainforest to oil palm plantations but not annual crops like corn, soy, or rapeseed. In other words, it appears to open a gaping loophole in its sustainability criteria.

Environmental groups quickly condemned the plan. "This leaked document shows the disgraceful attempts to push palm oil through European laws designed to prevent destruction of the world's forests," said Adrian Bebb, agrofuels campaign coordinator for Friends of the Earth Europe, in a statement. "Allowing the expansion of palm plantations to fuel cars and lorries in Europe will have a devastating impact on the climate, biodiversity and the people who depend on forests."

EDIT

http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0204-palm_oil.html

[amborin]

1. palm oil plantations:

"production of one ton of palm oil will result in an average emission of 20 tons of CO2 from peat decomposition alone – not taking into account the emissions from fire and other CO2 emissions during the production cycle.

The Netherlands alone imported at least 400,000 tons of palm oil to meet its Kyoto target for 2005, thus actually increasing greenhouse gas emissions.


...... They can alter water-catchment areas, destroy animal habitats and contribute to the months-long bouts of haze that spreads hundreds of kilometers across Southeast Asia.

.....In 2001 Malaysia’s production of 7 million tons of crude palm oil generated 9.9 million tons of solid oil wastes, palm fiber, and shells, and 10 million tons of palm oil mill effluent, a polluted mix of crushed shells, water, and fat residues that has been shown to have a negative impact on aquatic ecosystems. ....."