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Biofuelwatch works to raise awareness of the negative impacts of industrial biofuels and bioenergy on biodiversity, human rights, food sovereignty and climate change. Based in UK and US, we work with national and international partners to expose and oppose the social and environmental damages resulting from bioenergy-driven increased demand for industrial agriculture and forestry monocultures.

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National Demo Against Agrofuel Subsidies

Saturday, 25th September in Portland Dorset,
with coaches from London

Organised by Campaign Against Climate Change, NOPE (No Oil Palm Energy) and Biofuelwatch

W4B are planning to build an agrofuel and mainly palm oil power station at Portland Port (as well as an even bigger one in Bristol). If they get to build both power stations then they will be by far the biggest consumer of palm oil agrofuels in the UK. Behind their and other companies' destructive plans are subsidies or 'ROCs' for agrofuels. For more details see here: www.campaigncc.org/biofuels

Savoy State Forest, "Shelterwood Logging", New State Road, 2008; Photo: Massachusetts Forest Watch.

Across the US and the EU as well as in many other countries, government policies and subsidies are triggering the development of large-scale industrial wood power stations as well as increased co-firing of coal with wood. Similar 'renewable energy' policies, for example in the UK, Germany and Italy, are also incentivising agrofuel (mainly palm oil) power stations. According to media investigations, wood power stations planned in the UK will burn at least 20-30 million tonnes, mostly imports.

Biomass has almost certainly become the largest growing market for wood products. This is leading to more intensive and destructive logging, for example in Massachusetts, and to a rush for more industrial tree plantations. In West Papua, for example, plantation concessions have been awarded for an area of diverse rainforest on which many local communities depend, specifically for wood pellets and wood chips for export (see report by EIA).