Et italiensk olieraffinaderi vil producere biodiesel af palmeolie fra Indonesien og Malaysia – en produktion der sker på bekostning af ryddet regnskov, og derfor kalder organisationen Rainforest Rescue til protest.
As the European Union is currently discussing its biofuels policy, Italian Agip-Eni is already constructing a refinery that will produce biodiesel based on palm oil, writes Rainforest Rescue.
“The refinery in Marghera will be modified for the production of advanced biodiesel”, says Eni’s research director James Rispoli, adding:
“The production will be based on crude palm oil, shipped to us from Indonesia and Malaysia.”
Eni will fulfil the EU requirements forcing all refineries to meet a binding minimum target of 10% for the biofuel quota by 2020. The first palm oil will arrive in Venice in 2014.
The investment of approximately 100 million Euros is needed to convert the refinery in one that produces advanced biodiesel. The production capacity will allow Eni to manufacture 500,000 tons of biofuels.
Partly government owned Eni also operates five other refineries and does business in more than 90 countries. In Europe, 6,384 petrol filling stations are run by Agip-Eni.
Last year, 1.9 million tons of palm oil were added to diesel fuel in the EU – in addition to millions of tons of equally harmful rapeseed (raps) and soybean oils.
The plantations needed to produce the palm oil cover an area of 700,000 hectares – land that until recently was still rainforest and the habitat of 5,000 endangered orangutans.
The Italian government owns approximately one third of Eni’s shares.
“Please tell the Italian government and Eni to stop all imports of palm oil. Join us in demanding an end to biofuels”, the NGO appeals.
Start of campaign was October 21, 2013.
You can read more and join the campaign at
https://www.rainforest-rescue.org/mailalert/929/oil-giant-threatens-180-000-hectares-of-rainforest
