Biofuels: Problem or Solution?

‘Biodegradable’, ‘renewable’, ‘green’; mention a handful of our favourite buzzwords and society breathes a sigh of relief, content in the reassurance that we can continue with our consumptive lifestyles without endangering the health of our precious planet.

‘Bio-fuels’ have tagged a healthy portion of ‘green words’, and many with good reason, but there are core issues that still need addressing to ensure that the latest ‘solution’ to enhancing the greenhouse effect doesn’t merely replace one global crisis with another.

Bio-fuel is energy that can be obtained from biological resources – organic material produced from plants, animals or microorganisms. These can be derived from waste products, such as sludge, alcohol and plant wastage, or crops produced specifically for the purpose. They can take the form of solids, liquid or gases and, due to their organic nature, are biodegradable.

Seen as a replacement for fossil fuels, bio-fuels are being adopted by car users, rail companies, the aviation industry and domestic appliance manufacturers. ‘Bio-alcohol’ (ethanol) and ‘Bio-diesel’ are the most commonly used forms, with the latter taking preference in Europe and ethanol more popular in the USA and South America. Both can be used in existing car engines and mixed with a blend of gasoline or diesel to the desired ratio or used in their raw form.

The positive environmental aspects of using bio-fuels is their reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, in comparison to fossil fuels, providing less threat of global warming and associated negative impacts. A 1998 study by the US government suggested that, biodiesel produces significantly less pollutants than conventional fuels, is largely sulphur free and emits 78% less carbon dioxide than diesel. It has been suggested that biodiesel can cut emissions of carbon dioxide, by up to 60 per cent. In addition, burning bio-fuel does not give off the unpleasant odour associated with petrol and diesel powered engines.

Bio-diesel is easy to use. Existing engines do not need to be modified and the fuel is safer to transport and store than fossil fuels and, on top of a host of environmental benefits, the necessary production of organic matter, needed to produce fuels, could create valuable jobs for England’s struggling farmers… Oh yes, and it’s cheaper to produce and purchase than fossil-fuel diesel.

Sounds amazing! What’s the catch?

You would imagine that bio-fuels would have environmentalists and climate experts jumping for joy, and send oil companies hopping mad. The reality, however, is quite different…

Alongside concerns over efficiency and storage life, the most pressing issue is land; to meet Britain’s fuel demands alone, we would need to utilise over 25 million hectares of agricultural land, in order to grow the raw materials needed for bio-fuel production. The problem? We only have 5.7miilion hectares. So we’d have to source our materials from elsewhere, requiring extensive use of agricultural land and likely to involve widespread deforestation and habitat destruction.

Shifting the focus from using farmland for food, to fuel, farmers may be deprived of cultivating staple foods, holding potentially fatal impacts for poverty stricken regions of the world. Wealthy oil companies have the power to buy farmland for bio-fuel crop cultivation, putting disadvantaged farmers in an uncompromising position. Matthew Brown, former energy program director at the National Conference of State Legislatures, puts this into perspective: “Replacing only five percent of the nation’s diesel consumption with biodiesel would require diverting approximately 60 percent of today’s soy crops to biodiesel production”.

Bio-fuels are still in their infancy, with research and development ongoing, to find the most efficient, cleanest and sustainable models. Many companies are already onboard and bio-fuels have been adopted on a worldwide scale. Bio-ethanol is widely available in rural USA and Brazil, and British filling stations and supermarkets are slowly introducing bio-diesel pumps.

Commercially, big companies are keen to fly the bio-fuel flag and, no doubt, jump on an opportunity to cut their fuel costs. Richard Branson launched one of the first bio-diesel powered aircrafts in 2008 and, in 2007, trialled a 20% blend of biodiesel to fuel his trains. Still in its early days, a small portion of Virgin aircrafts now fly solely on bio-fuels but after a six month trail, a decision was made not to adapt to bio-diesel powered rail, despite an estimation by The Union Internationale des Chemins de Fer that converting the entire Virgin fleet of trains to bio-diesel could cut carbon emissions by 14%.

Bio-fuel production and trade is ever increasing and, of course, has potentially massive benefits for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. So is there a way to source the raw materials more sustainably? They’re looking into it!

At the moment, one problem is monitoring trade. The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), have suggested that fuel suppliers are failing to provide sufficient information on the sustainability of their sources. A significant portion of the world’s bio-fuel is thought to be derived from inexpensive Indonesian palm oil plantations, well known for their large-scale destruction of rainforests and associated impacts on native and endangered wildlife, primarily the iconic and ill-fated orang-utan.

But the future looks brighter, with the RTFO recognising sustainability and sourcing as major concerns, they are working towards introducing mandatory reporting systems and setting compulsory sustainability criteria, which they hope will take effect by the end of 2010.

You have to ask yourself though, is a new fuel really going to solve the global problems associated with man’s motor powered lifestyles? Perhaps our efforts would be better spent on tackling the root causes of global warming, rainforest destruction and international food crises by facing up to the fact that our lifestyles are primarily what needs to change and that substituting one fuel for another is just a small piece of a greater global movement, rather than a holistic solution.

Photo take from The Danish Centre for Biofuels

Lucy's article was also posted on Responsible Travel News: Biofuels, The Problem or Solution?

Barclays Backs Boris's Bikes

Countless cities throughout France, Germany and Canada run hugely successful bike-sharing schemes, to enable locals and tourists to travel economically, healthily and without damaging the environment. When is the UK going to cotton on to this great idea?

We did…in 1993, Cambridge launched a fleet of 300 sharing-bikes and almost the entire set was stolen. Since then, significant improvements in electronic tracking have made security controls more efficient and thus, we are ready for a re-launch.

Boris Johnston’s London Cycle Hire scheme is due to commence on July 30^th this year. Sponsored by Barclays Bank, tourists and other members of the public aged 14 and above will be able to pick up a bike and return it to any one of the 400 docking stations in London, ready for other users to share. There will be no booking system and the scheme will be completely self service. A free iPhone App will help cyclists locate their nearest docking station ( http://cyclehireapp.com).

In order to use the scheme, cyclists will need to pay an access fee and a usage charge. Usage costs will be based on the length of each journey, with the initial half hour of every journey being free. Costs are small but there will be penalties for late returns and damage. The scheme is designed around users making short journeys, for transport around the city and is not marketing itself as a ‘bike hire’ centre for long distance bike riding.

Boris Johnston is hugely enthusiastic about the bike-sharing scheme but does warn that it is likely to be less than perfect to begin with. Deanna Oppenheimer, chief executive of Barclays retail operation, is very optimistic, expecting the scheme to be become ‘as iconic as the Tube or London buses’.

Designated cycle routes on major routes will open on July 19^th with some road surfaces painted blue to assist bike and car users sharing the same road. It is hoped that other road users will benefit from the reduction in motor-vehicle traffic on the roads and that the scheme may also seek to tackle congestion and overcrowding on tubes.

For more information, take a look at http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/12444.aspx

Photo of bike sharing scheme in Denver, USA (Taken by ontheroad.com)

Lucy's post was also featured on Responsible Travel news: Barclays and Boris? On Your Bike?

Barclays backs Boris's Bikes

Countless cities throughout France, Germany and Canada run hugely successful bike-sharing schemes, to enable locals and tourists to travel economically, healthily and without damaging the environment. When is the UK going to cotton on to this great idea?

We did…in 1993, Cambridge launched a fleet of 300 sharing-bikes and almost the entire set was stolen. Since then, significant improvements in electronic tracking have made security controls more efficient and thus, we are ready for a re-launch.

Boris Johnston’s London Cycle Hire scheme is due to commence on July 30^th this year. Sponsored by Barclays Bank, tourists and other members of the public aged 14 and above will be able to pick up a bike and return it to any one of the 400 docking stations in London, ready for other users to share. There will be no booking system and the scheme will be completely self service. A free iPhone App will help cyclists locate their nearest docking station ( http://cyclehireapp.com).

In order to use the scheme, cyclists will need to pay an access fee and a usage charge. Usage costs will be based on the length of each journey, with the initial half hour of every journey being free. Costs are small but there will be penalties for late returns and damage. The scheme is designed around users making short journeys, for transport around the city and is not marketing itself as a ‘bike hire’ centre for long distance bike riding.

Boris Johnston is hugely enthusiastic about the bike-sharing scheme but does warn that it is likely to be less than perfect to begin with. Deanna Oppenheimer, chief executive of Barclays retail operation, is very optimistic, expecting the scheme to be become ‘as iconic as the Tube or London buses’.

Designated cycle routes on major routes will open on July 19^th with some road surfaces painted blue to assist bike and car users sharing the same road. It is hoped that other road users will benefit from the reduction in motor-vehicle traffic on the roads and that the scheme may also seek to tackle congestion and overcrowding on tubes.

For more information, take a look on http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/12444.aspx

Photo of bike sharing scheme in Denver, USA (Taken by ontheroad.com
Lucy's [pst was also featured on Responsible Travel News:

Countless cities throughout France, Germany and Canada run hugely successful bike-sharing schemes, to enable locals and tourists to travel economically, healthily and without damaging the environment. When is the UK going to cotton on to this great idea?

We did…in 1993, Cambridge launched a fleet of 300 sharing-bikes and almost the entire set was stolen. Since then, significant improvements in electronic tracking have made security controls more efficient and thus, we are ready for a re-launch.

Boris Johnston’s London Cycle Hire scheme is due to commence on July 30^th this year. Sponsored by Barclays Bank, tourists and other members of the public aged 14 and above will be able to pick up a bike and return it to any one of the 400 docking stations in London, ready for other users to share. There will be no booking system and the scheme will be completely self service. A free iPhone App will help cyclists locate their nearest docking station ( http://cyclehireapp.com).

In order to use the scheme, cyclists will need to pay an access fee and a usage charge. Usage costs will be based on the length of each journey, with the initial half hour of every journey being free. Costs are small but there will be penalties for late returns and damage. The scheme is designed around users making short journeys, for transport around the city and is not marketing itself as a ‘bike hire’ centre for long distance bike riding.

Boris Johnston is hugely enthusiastic about the bike-sharing scheme but does warn that it is likely to be less than perfect to begin with. Deanna Oppenheimer, chief executive of Barclays retail operation, is very optimistic, expecting the scheme to be become ‘as iconic as the Tube or London buses’.

Designated cycle routes on major routes will open on July 19^th with some road surfaces painted blue to assist bike and car users sharing the same road. It is hoped that other road users will benefit from the reduction in motor-vehicle traffic on the roads and that the scheme may also seek to tackle congestion and overcrowding on tubes.

For more information, take a look on http://www.tfl.gov.uk/roadusers/cycling/12444.aspx

Photo of bike sharing scheme in Denver, USA (Taken by ontheroad.comBarclays and Boris? On your Bike!

RSPB Steps Over the Line

The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) is stepping outside the boundaries of nature reserves, making wildlife conservation part of the fabric of our working and living environments. It makes sense – why should conservation only occur behind locked gates and reserve fences?

Nature doesn’t recognize the borders of a reserve, so why should conservation stop at marked boundaries? ‘Green corridors’, the lifelines that species use between richer habitats, are not a new phenomenon but is one that the RSPB are embracing in their 2010 ‘Futurescapes program’.

Aidan Lonergan, manager of the program, suggests that the scheme is developing as a response to the increasingly isolation of UK protected sites and concerning declines in habitats and species, which continues despite 2010’s label as ‘The International Year of Biodiversity’. It seems vital that this attitude is embraced by the UK, in order for us to continue developing and living in a sustainable manner.

With ‘sustainable development’ the key words in this project, the Futurescapes program is working in partnership with companies such as Veolia and the Port of London Authority. The idea is to make use of unused land, whether it be alongside our motorways, bordering an industrial estate or in a landfill site.

As well as creating more space for British Wildlife, local communities should experience an improvement in their quality of life, both aesthetically and through improved air quality, and visitor around the UK should be able to experience the richness of local habitats, without necessarily having to drive to designated sites.

80 UK sites have so far been allocated, around the country, including; West Canvey Marsh (Essex) - set to become a specialist habitat for insects, and a new port on the River Thames - a new wetland area for birds.

The RSPB has specific goals in mind for each area; In Pitsea, where a huge landfill area will become a country park, an aim is to encourage the return of the RSPB’s emblem bird - rare, black and white wader, the avocet - to the area.

In addition, it’s hoped that the Futuerscapes program will help to change the face of the RSPB, which is now in its 120th year of operation. Many still view the society as a charity solely for birdwatchers but the Futurescapes program should communicate that their concerns reach far beyond this, with hopes of setting an international trend in a new take on conservation.

To find out more about the project and how to get involved, take a look at the program’s website: http://is.gd/cV2fV

Image from the RSPB

Lucy's post was also featured on Responsible Travel News

Fierce roars over tiger tourism

From Sher Kahn to Tigger, do we love Tigers too much? The Indian Government recently suggested that tigers are being ‘loved to death’ by tourists and that phasing out of tourism is necessary in order to save the big cats from imminent extinction. The decision has ignited fierce rows and attracted divided opinions between conservationists.

Surveys carried out by The Wildlife Institute of India, revealed that tiger populations fell by up to 60% between 2002 and 2008; over 700 cats disappeared in six years. 21 tiger are already thought to have died in 2010 and it is estimated that around 1400 remain in the wild today.

The need for protection has been formally recognised in India since 1970, when hunting was banned. The Wildlife protection act followed in 1972 and lead to the establishment of ‘Project Tiger’. Renamed ‘the National Tiger Conservation Authority’ in 2006, the aim is to create ‘safe havens’, in which tigers can live undisturbed. According to the authority, tiger populations have increased significantly since its launch and it has “…put the tiger on an assured course of recovery”.

But tourism is unregulated in India’s reserves and it is estimated that hundreds of thousands visit each year. Hotels have been blamed for blocking pathways between tiger territories and, to ensure that tourists get what they’re paying for, luxury lodges have been built in core areas to maximise the chances of a sighting. In India’s oldest National Park, named after hunter turned conservationist Jim Corbett, their most recent guesthouses are described as being in ‘excellent tiger territory’.
Alongside infrastructure, modern practices in wildlife tracking are also thought to be a major threat. Where reserves use radio telemetry systems, visitors can be quickly alerted to a sighting. Travelling on elephant back, in jeeps or 20 seater vehicles, they are likely to disrupt grasslands on their cross-country journeys, causing wider ecological damage. One tourism website claims that, in Ranthambore National Park, tigers are ‘…oblivious of jeep loads of tourists’.


The right decision?
No-one is blind to the fact that many other factors threaten the species. Historically, Tiger hunting was a prestigious sport, one practiced by royals from India to England. In China, from grinding the tail as a cancer cure, to rubbing tiger brain on your body to treat laziness, tiger has been used in traditional medicine for centuries and the demand is still high. Today, hunting is illegal and international trade in tiger parts is banned but markets throughout China continue to sell without shame. With a whole cat fetching around $50,000, the Environmental Investigation Agency says that tiger trade is thriving throughout the world, including in the USA and Europe.

Whilst it is widely accepted that something needs to be done, the extent to which tourism should be blamed is contested; The Times of India state that the fall in tiger populations has “little to do with tourists” and Paul Goldstein, tiger campaigner and tour guide with holiday company ‘Exodus’, refers to the curb on tourism as “damaging, misleading and incorrect”, advocating the role of tourism as vital in protecting habitats. There are incidences where tourists have acted as environmental stewards, alerting authorities to malpractice and mismanagement. With this in mind, could banning tourism actually hasten the decline? Guardian ‘green columnist’ Kevin Rushby, suggests that in removing tourists tigers can be ‘…exterminated in peace and quiet’.

But perhaps we are over-reacting. The decision has not been to enforce a total ban on tiger-tourism throughout India. Justin Francis of the agency ‘Responsible Travel’ clarifies Ramesh’s tourism curb, accepting it as a necessary but short term measure. It should be remembered that there are vast differences between tourism practices and where some may serve to protect the environment, other forms can be severely damaging. Responsible tour operators and conservation projects can be hugely beneficial in promoting environmental protection but without strict management and tighter control, we cannot guarantee that all operators follow such good practice.

Surely then, the solution is easy; Tourism needs to change, not to vanish. By banning unsustainable and damaging practices, tiger populations can be revived? Justin Francis highlights that this is by no means a new approach but one that has been widely promoted for decades. The problem is that it is not a system that the Government has been able to manage so far. Achieving sustainable tourism should be a long term goal but is not one that can be realised overnight. Hence, Francis recognises the Government’s decision to take more drastic and immediate action; “We don’t have the luxury of time to try to reorganise tourism – tigers may be extinct within five years.”


The outlook
Whether it be through tourism, population increase, hunting or Chinese medicine, human beings are the tiger’s main predator but they are also their guardians. Despite the doom and gloom, India still holds the best chance for saving tigers in the wild. Whilst elsewhere, in Indonesia and the Middle East, tigers are long gone, India harbours the world’s biggest concentration.

Ideally, it seems that the Government would like to develop guidelines where eco-tourism can operate sustainably, using specific schemes for India’s unique reserves. While we wait patiently for plans to emerge, we are urged to remember that reserves are first and foremost for protecting tigers and whether it should be considered alongside or as a secondary outcome, tourism should never take precedence.

Photo from projo.com

Related links: Read Justin Francis' blog 'India bans Tiger Tourism' at Responsible Travel's blog

One Million Trees to be Planted Worldwide

As part of its celebration of its 20th anniversary and of World Environment Day, Costa Rica's Earth University will plant a million trees in 26 countries throughout the world, including the Caribbean, Latin America, China, India and Africa.

Since its founding in the early 90s, the not-for-profit university has focused reforestation efforts on its campus. To celebrate their anniversary, they set an initial goal of planting 200,000 trees throughout the world. When they easily surpassed the goal, they upped the target to a million.

Earth University is an international, private, institution founded upon the belief that through conviction and commitment, people can solve the problems facing humanity and the planet. Earth offers study opportunities for young people from throughout Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as from underdeveloped areas in Africa and Asia, so that they may become agents of change in their communities. The current student body of 400 represents 25 different countries.

To help support the cause, trees can be purchased through Facebook and Twitter, as well as through the university's website:www.earthsiembraelfuturo.org. The campaign is sponsored by CNN and Cummins, an international engine manufacturing and distribution company based in the U.S. state of Indiana. A number of businesses in each country are supporting local efforts.

Lucy's post was also featured on Responsible Travel News: Costa Rican University Plants One Million Trees Worldwide

Read full article: One million trees planted to celebrate World Environment Day

Photo by Mustard Greens

Nestle agree to stop contributing to rainforest destruction, following Greenpeace campaign

This month, Nestle announced a commitment to stop using palm oil products that come from companies blamed for rainforest destruction. A move that Greenpeace claim was achieved due to pressure from social media sites such as youtube, facebook and twitter.
Greenpeace’s two month campaign, which targeted Nestle’s unethical and environmentally damaging business practice, linked KitKat chocolate bars to deforestation in Indonesian rainforests and the destruction of orang-utan habitats. When their ‘Have a Break’ video link was removed from youtube, the campaign attracted massive support from the online community.

The power of social media combined with direct actions to deliver the message directly to Nestlé. At Nestlé’s Annual General Meeting on April 15th, shareholders were greeted by protesting orang-utans as they arrived and activists dangled banners over shareholder’s heads, asking Nestlé to give orang-utans a break. Online, supporters sent tweets to shareholders throughout the meeting via a fake Wi-Fi network, which sent shareholders directly to greenpeace.org/kitkat.

The combined efforts of Greenpeace and the global online community seemed to have powerful and desired effect. Nestle is now working alongside The Forest Trust (TFT), which requires them to adhere to responsible sourcing guidelines for palm oil. Nestlé must exclude companies from its supply chain that manage 'high risk plantations or farms linked to deforestation'.

Nestle say that "We share the deep concern about the serious environmental threat to rain forests and peat fields in South East Asia caused by the planting of palm oil plantations."

Lucy's article was also posted by Responsible Travel News: Nestle agrees to stop contributing to rainforest destruction: The power of social media

Full article: Sweet Success for Kit-Kat Campaign

Photo from Greenpeace