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How looney does it get

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:58:26 GMT

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How looney does it get?

GIVE up lamb roasts and save the planet. Government advisers are developing menus to combat climate change by cutting out “high carbon” food such as meat from sheep, whose burping poses a serious threat to the environment.

Out will go kebabs, greenhouse tomatoes and alcohol. Instead, diners will be encouraged to consume more potatoes and seasonal vegetables, as well as pork and chicken, which generate fewer carbon emissions.

“Changing our lifestyles, including our diets, is going to be one of the crucial elements in cutting carbon emissions,” said David Kennedy, chief executive of the Committee on Climate Change.

Palm Oil is an alternative fuel

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:57:31 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Palm Oil is an alternative fuel

Nigeria should consider using oil palm to produce bio-fuel, an alternative source of fuel, the Executive Director, Nigerian Conservation Foundation, Professor Emmanuel Asuquo Obot, has urged.

The Professor made the call while speaking on the importance of the palm plant during the official commissioning of the Sarius Palmetum and Botanical Garden in Abuja on Saturday.

The use of the palm plant as an alternative source of fuel, the professor said, would help in saving the environment, thereby checking climate change because palms could reduce carbon emission.

Neste Oil builds EU's largest biodisel plant in Rotterdam

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:54:29 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Neste Oil builds EU's largest biodisel plant in Rotterdam

Neste Oil today laid the foundation stone for its renewable diesel plant using certified sustainable palm oil in the Port of Rotterdam. Upon completion, the plant will be the largest renewable diesel plant in Europe with an annual production capacity of 800,000 metric tonnes. The investment cost of the plant is estimated to be EUR 670 million, and it will create over 100 jobs.

Kulim to expand palm oil production in PNG & Solomon Islands

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:51:06 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Kulim to expand palm oil production in PNG & Solomon Islands

Kulim (Malaysia) Bhd has identified more than 10,000 hectares of land in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the Solomon Islands for the development of new oil palm plantations, its chairman Tan Sri Muhammad Ali Hashim said today.

The company's aggressive expansion in the two countries will be undertaken by its subsidiary companies New Britain Palm Oil Ltd (NBPOL) and Ramu Agri-Industries Ltd.

Indonesia facing palm oil competitiveness issue

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:50:16 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Indonesia facing palm oil competitiveness issue

Despite Indonesia being the world’s largest producer of crude palm oil (CPO), its competitiveness in overseas markets is being eroded due in part to burdensome levies – both by central and local governments – and to poor infrastructure.

Indonesia exports around 70 percent of its annual CPO production, but the commodity’s exports could be hit by weakening competitiveness, according to the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki).

Biotech shows the way to improve palm oil yield and sustainability

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 09:49:37 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Biotech shows the way to improve palm oil yield and sustainability

Oil palm yields can be increased through a paradigm shift in biotechnology breakthroughs, said Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak recently.

He said discoveries through biotechnology techniques to develop high-value commodity products could also help to reduce the downside of volatile commodity prices.

Cleaning with natural products derived from palm oil

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:45:50 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Cleaning with natural products derived from palm oil

Ashley Chapman, who is in her mid-20s, is part of a growing wave of housecleaners who have rediscovered the ways of past generations. These tried-and-true methods using staples from the kitchen cupboard usually are cheaper than engineered alternatives — and they're safer for the environment, too.

Thelma Meyer chuckles at the idea. The original Mrs. Meyer has been cleaning this way most of her 75-plus years. Her approach to housework inspired the environmentally conscious brand of household products bearing her name. She also has written a new book packed with her household hints, "Mrs. Meyer's Clean Home: No-Nonsense Advice That Will Inspire You To Clean Like the Dickens"(Wellness Central, $19.99, 240 pages).

"I like the Mrs. Meyer Clean Day line because it smells good,"she admitted. "But baking soda is my best friend."

Biodiesel Myths and Facts: Part 3

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:45:19 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Myth: Biodiesel doesn't perform well in cold weather.

Fact: Biodiesel will gel in very cold temperatures, just as the common #2 diesel does.
Although pure biodiesel has a higher cloud point than #2 diesel fuel, typical blends of
20% biodiesel are managed with the same fuel management techniques as #2 diesel.

Blends of 5% biodiesel (which is the blend adopted by Malaysia) and less have virtually no impact on cold flow.THE END

Carbon Caps and its implications for biodiesel

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:43:55 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Carbon Caps and its implications for biodiesel

In April, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency took the first step in regulating greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by formally acknowledging that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are a danger to “public health and welfare.” CO2 will now be tracked and monitored by the Clean Air Act. Increasing energy security and decreasing emissions that lead to climate change are the main motivators for escalating interest in regulation of GHG emissions. CO2 emitted from burning fossil fuels has been singled out as one of the top GHG contributors to global warming.

Carbon capture & storage nature's way: Part 1

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:38:59 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Carbon capture & storage nature's way: Part 1

Increasing investments in the conservation, rehabilitation and management of forests, peatlands, and soils could deliver deep cuts in greenhouse gas emissions and avoid even more being released to the atmosphere, finds a new report by the UN Environment Programme released to mark World Environment Day.

Celebrated each year on June 5, World Environment Day's global hosts this year are the Government and people of Mexico.

UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner said, "Tens of billions of dollars are being earmarked for carbon capture and storage at power stations with the CO2 to be buried underground or under the sea."

Economic realities forcing EU buyers to non-RSPO certified Palm Oil

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:38:28 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Economic realities forcing EU buyers to non-RSPO certified Palm Oil

THE issue on the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certified palm oil not being able to fetch a good premium price in Europe has become fodder for constant debate lately.

This came in the light of Europe’s continued dependency on palm oil as feedstock for food, oleochemicals as well as green energy to replace fossil fuels in the transport and energy sectors.

According to World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) latest study, of the total production of about 1.5 million tonnes, less than 1% or 15,000 tonnes were purchased by consumers.

So why is the RSPO-certified palm oil getting such lukewarm response by European consumers despite meeting the sustainable standards and criteria which provides assurance that valuable tropical forests have not been cleared and that environmental and social safeguards have been met during production?

Red palm oil growing in popularity

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:37:42 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Red palm oil growing in popularity

More and more health-conscious people are embracing palm oil for its many unique qualities.

This unrefined, extra-virgin palm oil comes from wild, forest-grown west African dura palm trees. Harvested in Africa in small villages where palm has been grown and pressed into oil for centuries, fair trade practices ensure the economic sustainability of the villagers. A fabulous source of carotenoids, vitamin E, and luscious thick red oil that is excellent for frying, sauteeing, or baking.

Neste to buy sustainable palm oil

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:30:51 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Neste to buy sustainable palm oil

Neste Oil Corp announced a commitment to exclusively use certified palm “when sufficient volumes become available.” The company states it believes this will be possible by the end of 2015. In its announcement released June 4, Neste said it recently received its first cargo of 5,000 tons (600,000 gallons) of palm oil from certified sources, and it expects to use at least 50,000 tons of certified palm oil this year.

Indonesia to double palm oil production by 2020

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:30:17 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Indonesia to double palm oil production by 2020

ndonesia aims to more than double its crude palm oil output to 40 million tonnes by 2020 through increased yields and more plantations, officials said Wednesday.

Average oil palm plantation yields would increase from 3.5 tonnes to 4.5 tonnes a hectare while land under plantation would expand from 7.9 million hectares (19.5 million acres) to about 10 million, they said.

Palm Oil can be part of the solution

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 13:23:52 GMT

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Clip Source: deforestationwatch.org

Palm Oil can be part of the solution

Despite a sense that the international climate change negotiations, convened in Bonn, Germany this week, are grinding forward at a painfully slow pace, there is a momentum to the process that makes adding new ideas very difficult. It took several years of behind the scenes technical work and at least two years of carefully planned campaigning to get the deforestation issue substantively on the table. While we know that agriculture can make a vital contribution to addressing climate change, it lags behind the forest discussion and effectively including it in the Copenhagen deal at this late date will be no easy thing.