CSPO Animation Series: Better Biofuels

Due to fossil fuels’ role in driving climate change, environmentalists have been campaigning against them. Fossil fuels, including coal, oil, and gas, are made from decomposing plants, animals, and marine life.

When burned, they release carbon into the air, causing global warming. Fossil fuels contain carbon that was extracted from the atmosphere millions of years ago. Biofuels on the other hand offer an alternative to fossil fuels, being made from recently harvested, renewable sources of carbon.

Biofuels can be made from various sources including plants, trees, crops, or agricultural waste. However, some of them have been criticized due to their links to deforestation. In fact, this was the reason why the EU banned palm oil-based biofuels.

Yet, this poses another problem for the environment: compared to other crops, palm oil is the most effective one – it provides up to ten times more oil than alternatives like rapeseed, sunflower, and soybean crops. Thus, simply replacing palm oil with other crops to make biofuels isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Instead, we should support sustainable production of palm oil, which promotes both forest and wildlife conservation. Better biofuels, better for the environment.