Tuesday October 17, 2006

Hazy days and palm oil

So the PSI hit 130 in Singapore yesterday on the 5-6 pm readings. If you think you've had it bad, this report says that, in Indonesia :

The Pollution Standard Index (PSI) has already reached the dangerous level (300 - 550), and on 2 October, the highest PSI at 913 was recorded in Pontianak ...

Always one to look into possible root causes, the first thing I can think of is palm oil. Crude oil prices have been going up (to put it mildly) these past few years. Which led Malaysia and Indonesia to turn to biodiesel in order to make a few extra bucks. Malaysia has realized the food-for-people/oil-for-cars trade-offs and has taken a step back from its biodiesel plans. Apparently, Indonesia has gone ahead - way ahead :

The Indonesian government has announced plans to plant nearly two million hectares of oil palm plantations in the middle of the Borneo rainforest. In order to realise these mega plantations, which will occupy a total surface area half the size of the Netherlands, much tropical rainforest will be cleared, causing an ecological disaster in the area.

Another report notes that :

Most of this mountainous region, part of the "Heart of Borneo", still holds huge tracts of forests. WWF stresses that infertile soil and steep areas prevent the development of oil palm plantations. Research carried out in 2004 by the Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) in the Heart of Borneo area, showed that out of 200 sample sites, none were suitable for the cultivation of oil palm. "It doesn't make commercial or conservation sense to rip the forest out of the Heart of Borneo to plant a crop which cannot grow in mountainous conditions," said Dr Mubariq Ahmad, Chief Executive Director of WWF-Indonesia.

Hmm.

See also :

1. Malaysia, Indonesia to set aside palm oil for biodiesel
2. Malaysian government may revoke some biodiesel licences
3. So much for biodiesel

(2006-10-17 17:23:38 SGT) [Env] Permalink

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