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Bio-fuel - A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

vhius | 10.02.2008 10:55 | Climate Chaos | Ecology | Liverpool

Around 20 activists, some dressed as wolves in sheep’s clothing, visited the D1 Oil refinery in Bromborough on the Wirral, on 2nd February 2008. They were there to highlight the dangerous consequences of large-scale bio-fuel production for the climate and for people worldwide.

The demonstrators from Manchester and Liverpool, inspired by the Camp for Climate Action, erected a 16 metre banner reading, “Biofuels cause Climate Chaos” and another smaller banner reading “Biofuels + Big Business = Disaster”. The demonstration came at the end of a week of action called by Biofuelwatch.

On arrival activists were told by security that the plant was empty and not operating, however when several activists entered the site, at least twenty workers dressed in boiler suits came out to meet them. Although the gates were shut campaigners remained for approximately one hour to talk with staff and local residents. Police attended but no arrests were made.

D1 Oils plc. have used palm, soya and rapeseed oil to make bio-diesel. Now they have joined forces with corporate giant BP, aiming to acquire and plant one million hectares of land with supposed 'wonder crop' Jatropha, within four years. For information on the real impact of this crop and other agro-fuels check out www.biofuelwatch.org.uk

vhius

Additions

photos from the D1 action

22.02.2008 20:05



photos showing the two banners used at the D1 Oils action

TS


Comments

Hide the following 3 comments

life equals climate chaos ?

10.02.2008 12:18


Come on. Seriously. What's going on? Why suggest that fuels based on photosynthesis cause climate chaos when in fact they generally do the opposite. It is the wholesale destruction of old growth / tropical forests (among other factors) that are leading us down the path of destruction - not biofuels as such.

When you remove biofuels from the possible toolbox of energy solutions for the future you leave the door wide open for the bogus 'hydrogen economy' and the nuclear industry to step in to save the day. Biofuels can be a sustainable solution, please don't demonise them totally.

simplistic nonsense


Biofuels and food

10.02.2008 12:28

Surely there are two problems with biofuels. One is that they encourage deforestation to free up land to grow the crops to produce them - hence the worries about global warming. Secondly, they encourage commercial farmers to sell maize and other staples for use as fuels. This deprives people of food. That's what happened in Oaxaca, for example. Maize prices rocketed because of scarcity brought on so that the USA could run its cars partly on biofuels.

Either way, they are not part of the solution.

knightrose
mail e-mail: manchester@af-north.org
- Homepage: http://www.af-north.org


pretty much, yup

10.02.2008 14:09

Seriously, if you're talking about using plants for fuel you have to look at the climate impact of what land use you are displacing (forests, food production etc), fertilisers and other inputs, not to mention conversion to fuel & transport, otherwise you are talking simplistic nonsense. For example, US use of corn for biofuels in itself doesn't trash forests (& hence release huge amounts of CO2), but the demand for corn for food & feed means that it'll trash forests elsewhere and/or increase prices of foodstuffs.

To use emotionalism and simplistic arguments to say plants are good, and if you don't like them, oooh, you're responsible for hydrogen and nuke shit is utter bollocks.

How about energy efficiency, small-scale renewables and all the other practical suggestions many many people are making, you demon.

really simplistic nonsense


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