BIOPETROL promotes a fair hearing for biodiesel

BIOPETROL promotes a fair hearing for biofuels, especially biodiesel. The present biased discussion about the extraction of biogenic fuels is being led by a variety of interest groups. The discussion must be based on real facts, otherwise still more confusion will be sown. Purely opportunistic comments designed to arouse attention in the media are counterproductive. The widespread but very subjective public discussion of "food versus fuels" draws attention away from the real issues.

According to press reports, there is a secret study by the World Bank, which has not yet been published in full, but allegedly blames biofuels for 75% of the rise in food prices. The timing of these releases to the media, immediately before the G8 summit in Japan, doesn't look accidental.

According to previously published studies by the European Union and the British Environment Ministry, however, biofuels have only a minor effect on the prices of agricultural raw materials. Biofuels have also only accounted for a minor proportion of the increase in food prices in recent months. This is also the opinion of Greg Manuel--an international coordinator from the US State Department--who says biofuels are responsible for only 3% of the increase in food prices. (Source: Financial Times, 30.06.08)

According to the experts, the following factors are actually responsible for these price increases:
- rising demand from China and India for high-quality foodstuffs
- worldwide speculation on financial markets
- the harvest failures of recent years-including Europe
- the higher costs of agricultural production, particularly for fertilizers, linked to high crude-oil prices.

BIOPETROL supports the view that saving energy must have top t priority. But merely saving energy will not be enough. We also need a mix of regenerative forms of energy. In this light, BIOPETROL supports the increase in the quota of alternative forms of energy in the total energy budget so that overall energy efficiency is increased. This is the only way we can counter climate change.

In view of the increasing scarcity of fossil energy resources, growing the use of renewable raw materials, biofuels in particular, takes on even more significance. For months now, crude oil has been continually hitting new price records.

The Chairman of the BP group has had some very critical things to say about the surging demand for crude oil, and has predicted that secured reserves will last only around 43-45 years. (Source: Financial Times Deutschland, 12.06.08)

There are therefore many good reasons to back biodiesel made from renewable raw materials, as we explain in our "10 facts about biodiesel". You can find further details in the latest issue of our BIOPETROLFORUM. For download: www.biopetrol-ind.com.