A call for development NGOs assembled at the Bali Summit on Climate Change to stop their generic condemnation of the global biodiesel industry was made by D1 Oils plc, the UK-based global producer of biodiesel. At the same time, D1 Oils also called on the NGOs to back the wider adoption of Jatropha curcas and other biofuel crops for the development of sustainable biodiesel production in developing countries.
The company pointed out that Jatropha was recently recommended as a biofuels crop for developing countries by UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, because it will not displace vital food crops. D1 Oils is currently pioneering the plant science of jatropha in locations across Southern Africa, India and South East Asia, and is undertaking the planting of over a million hectares of jatropha over the next four years in a joint venture with BP.
Speaking at the Climate Change Summit in Bali, Karl E. Watkin MBE, founder and Non-Executive Director of D1 Oils, called on the development NGOs present at the conference to stop their generic criticism of biodiesel, be more rigorous in their differentiation of feedstocks for biofuels and to provide more support for the sustainable production of jatropha in developing nations.
“Environmental and development NGOs are right to be critical of soya and palm that are produced unsustainably in areas such as Brazil and Indonesia," said Watkin. "There’s no point in an energy crop that worsens the problem by destroying forest or grassland. Because these attacks don’t differentiate the sustainable biofuel crops like jatropha from the less sustainable like soya and palm, the NGO campaigns are undermining the industry as a whole. We are in danger of throwing the baby out with the bathwater. We would like to see more of these groups backing research into sustainable jatropha and working with companies like D1 to enable jatropha to make an impact on both climate and poverty in developing countries.”
“Biodiesel produced from jatropha is one of the most promising solutions for tackling the growing carbon emissions from transport. D1 is working to encourage the adoption of jatropha as an additional crop to supplement the incomes of poor farmers in the developing world. Jean Ziegler reported that “over half of Africa’s arid lands are considered suitable for jatropha cultivation and cultivating this plant would not only produce biofuel but also provide livelihoods for African farmers, increase the productivity of the soil and reverse land degradation and desertification.”
"We want to see more support from international NGOs for initiatives of this kind at a national and local level. Jatropha farming is already creating thousands of new jobs for communities in Africa and is boosting the incomes of poor farmers in India, but there is much more we can do and we need solutions fast.”
