Not so green

CARS running on palm biodiesel may emit less carbon but once the overall production of the biofuel is scrutinised, its usage actually inflicts more damage on the global climate. This is because large tracts of oil palm plantations in Malaysia and Indonesia, the world’s top two growers of the crop, sit on peat forests. “Peatlands…

Food-fuel feud

WITH vegetable oils finding a new use as car fuel, we may end up facing a food shortage or paying more for food. Soaring demand for corn, sugar cane, rapeseed and palm oil to make biofuels has driven up prices of these crops, and that of food made from them. In January, Mexicans took to…

Doubts over biofuel

Turning food to fuel may not be the answer to the world’s energy woes and global warming, after all. THE appeal of palm oil biodiesel appears to have lost its lustre. Soaring crude palm oil prices have eaten into profitability of the business, while Europe is slowly losing interest in palm diesel amidst fears that…