Biofuels destroying economies of poorer peoples

We know that biofuels are becoming more environmentally destructive, with planting of monocrop biofuels “plantations” such as oil palms farms. But, they continue to hurt people in the developing countries they’re supposed to protect.

For instance, in Indonesia, a liter of cooking oil is now $1.31. Maybe that sounds like a bargain compared to $3 here in America, but this is Indonesia. That price is more than 1 percent of the minimum wage.

Imagine paying $15 a liter for your bottle of Crisco or whatever, here in America, and you get the idea.

Meanwhile, it’s not actually that “green.”

A study published in the journal Science in February found it would take around 86 years for biodiesel made from palm oil grown on cleared tropical lowland forest to repay the “carbon debt” generated from clearing the land.

For biodiesel from cleared peatlands, the study found, the debt would take more than 840 years to repay.

But Indonesia appears intent on running up that debt. Already at least 10 million of its 22.5 million hectares (55.6 million acres) of peatland have been cleared, according to the Centre for International Forestry Research, and the clearing shows no sign of slowing.

Meanwhile, the U.S. push for more corn-based ethanol is driving up the price of meat, milk, eggs and other animal-related products. A family in Indonesia making twice the minimum wage now eats meat just twice a month.