THE BIOFUEL MYTH
TRAILER:
45 million people depend on the rainforest for food. But many are at risk of starvation -- due to a new kind of fuel. It is used in cars and to produce electricity. This is the story of biofuel – and how global demand for it, is threatening the food supplies of billions.
TITEL: THE BIOFUEL MYTH
00:58
At the beginning of the new millenium the EU parliament tried to usher in a new green revolution. The green party lead the way singing the praises of biofuels. One of the most passionate advocates was Claude Turmes, energy expert of the European greens.
01:14
OTON, Claude Turmes:
Renewable energy is the ernergy form of the 21. century. For our climate, for our environment, to secure our independence from oil and gas, but also in terms of development policy there is no future for billions of people in the world without renewable energies.
01:39
The green policies prove popular: In 2003 the european parliament decides that member countries are to blend 2 percent of biofuels from plant based oils such as maize, rape seed, soya and palm oil nuts with conventional fuel. Biofuels are seen as climate friendly and resource friendly because the plants grow back.
02:02
The EU is funding research into biofuels and their cultivation with billions of euros. The 2 percent biofuel mix is mandatory. European subsidies are financing the transformation of the automobile industry.
Meanwhile almost every new car can run on a mixture of on up 30 percent biofuel.
The German government has even introduced a new 2.500 euro bonus for those who scrap their old cars and buy a new one. Green fuel straight from the farm is seen as the answer to Europe's energy hunger. Consumers like the idea.
02:47
OTON VOX POP 1: It helps to lower our oil consumption, farmers make good money from it too and it helps them secure their livelihood by moving in a new direction.
02:59
OTON VOX POP 2: It's good, it's not expensive and it's economical.
03:06
OTON VOX POP 3: I'm thinking of the future, and maybe its a way to save oil in order to help the planet.
03:18
Meanwhile on the other side of the world in Indonesia natural rainforests are being turned into palm oil plantations, because Europe consumes far more biofuels than it produces. The existing palm oil plantations produce oil used in food and household products. This is why new plantations are needed. These new monocultures are being set up with European tax payers money. EU subsidies are thereby endangering the livelihoods of some 45 million Indonesians.
03:54
One of them is the Din Perulak, chief of the Orang Rimba tribe.
04:08
OTON, Din Perulak:
We don't own any land, we have no fixed abode. People must understand this and they must know that by cutting down the rainforest they are taking away our home, it will be the end of us. Where else are we to get the food we need to survive?
04:34
Din has lived all his live from the plants and the animals in the rainforest. His natural food supply is being taken away. The clear areas are turned into plantations. The monocultures that are being set up here will take four years to bear the first fruit.
04:50
We first met Din's clan back in 2001. Back then he still lived in the forest near a national park deep in central Sumatra.
05:07
The jungel is home to tigers and an large number of rare and endangered plant and wildlife species. A few years ago it was large enough still to feed wildlife and humans alike. The Orang Rimba tribe is self-reliant. They hunt animals, fish and collect plants.
05:34
The Orang Rimba believe the rainforest has a soul. The wild is like father and mother to them. This is why they call themselves the children of the rainforest.
They live from its plants and animals and the large trees give them shelter from wind and rain. The Orang Rimba believe that the gods have chosen their people to live in the rain forest and enable them to survive there. Nobody knows how to survive there better than they do.
06:17
They weave baskets with rattan to barter for food they can't find in the rainforest. They give the baskets to local farmers in exchange for food, such as sweet potatos. In the past they were entirely self-reliant and had enough to eat here. Their whole life the Orang Rimba tribe lived in harmony with nature. They have great respect for it, using it but not destroying it.
06:51
They believe that the spirits sometimes turn evil and haunt the souls of the children. They believe the spirits kill their children or make them very sick. This is what happens when the forest is destroyed, they tell each other by the fireside. They complain about the large corporations that are responsible for cutting down the rainforest. The Indonesian paper and palm oil giant SINAR MAS poses one of the biggest threats to them.
07:20
The cheif has seen with his own eyes how SINAR MAS operates here. First they cut down the trees,
then they sell the wood, then they let the soil dry out and plant their oilpalm plantations everywhere.
07:40
While Din tells us about the problem, we hear the chain saws at work.
It's the first time that the loggers have moved in this close to the forest of the Orang Rimba. It makes them very scared.
07:57
But still a small group of them get together to go and see what's happening.
08:18
The tribes people are powerless. They can only stand by and watch their living space being destroyed. The Orang Rimba believe that the gods are driven out of the forest with each tree that is felled.
08:35
Since the early 80s some 60 million hectars have fallen victim to the
chain saws. An area the size of France. At first the wood was used to make furniture and paper. Then palm oil plantations were started for food oils and soaps. But since the palm oil is being used in Europe a a biofuel
for cars and electricity production, the natural rainforest has been shrinking even faster.
08:57
Burning down the forest is still the cheapest and fastest way to make way for palm oil plantations. Due to this process Indonesia has become the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.
09:19
But despite this in 2006 the Indonesian government decided on a new masterplan. 26 million hectars of forest, an area the size of Great Britain has been earmarked for palm oil plantations. After all the government earns a lot of money through palm oil exports.
09:45
Palm oil plantations as far as the eye can see. Bad times for small farmers in Indonesia, who grow their produce in the rainforest.
This is where a forest once stood that supported an entire village.
Somat is a farmer who made his living with rubber trees and by growing vegetables. In 2003 SINAR MAS stole his land.
10:11
OTON, Somat: I'm furious. These oilpalms are standing on my land, but i don't get any of the proceeds from their fruits. Since they simply took away our farmland, we've seen nothing from them.
10:26
The farmland is becoming smaller and smaller. The farmers are unable to even grow enough produce to feed the Indonesian people. Since 2006 Indonesia has been dependent on rice imports. Food prices have risen sharply. There has been no compensation for the farmers, since the village forest has disappeared.
10:46
But some farmers from Sarolongun have come together to try and fight back. In the spring of 2007 they traveled to the provincial capital to demonstrate against their mistreatment by the plantation owner
Sinar Mas The farmers chant: „Stop the theft! Give us back our land!“
11:10
Feri Irawan is a well known environmental activist in Indonesia.
He advises the farmers and supports them in their dealings with the authorities and industry. He demands that the police let the demonstrators into the town hall for them to be able to tell the council how they have been treated.
11:32
The police officer is friendly and promises to check if the council is there. He asks the demonstrators to be patient.
11:50
But the protests only get louder. Their anger has been building up for several years now.
11:59
Somat says they have come to tell the authorities about their plight and how the large corporations stole their land. The logging began four years ago already. The farmers have no income he says and that Sinar Mas ows them compensation.
12:28
After difficult negotiations five representatives of the farmers are allowed to enter the town hall. It's the first time they've been granted the oportunity to tell their story.
12:40
The farmers have documents to prove they own the land but the company just ignored them and the government has so far not done anything about the matter.
12:51
The army is protecting the interests of Sinar Mas. Its officers protect the companies and even influence the decisions of politicians. Corruption is one of the biggest problems. The council tries to mediate.
13:05
OTON, Cik Endra, Landrat: We have contacted SINAR MAS several times and they said they have no problem with the farmers and also want the goverment to finally clear up the question who owns the land and that the government should compensate the farmers if necessary.
13:30
The council is under pressure to serve the government's interests.
13:36
OTON, Cik Endra, Landrat:
The government supports the worldwide biofuel programme. That's why they need companies like Sinar Mas to turn more land into palm oil plantations. But there are limits too. We have no more land here. But still we will make sure more palm oil plantations are set up elsewhere.
13:53
The talks end with an absurd suggestion. The farmers are to be given back their land if they take on the three million euro loan which Sinar Mas took out in order to pay for the palm oil plantation. The company knows full well that this will never happen. The government too can say it tried to mediate, while it continues to cooperate with the most important exporter of palm oil.
Where does the company see its responsibilities towards the farmers given the domestic food shortages in Indonesia?
14:26
OTON, Daud Dharsono, Sinar Mas:
If they like it or not everyone needs food. They use palm oil to fry food, and cook with margarine made from palm oil. And that palm oil is now also the biofuel of the future is a great thing, it’s incredibly cheap. We have to turn more land into palm oil plantations to meet the demand in future.
14:57
The farmers have no chance against Sinar Mas. They don't even get compensation for the land they have lost. And the company can continue to log forest to make way for palm oil plantations.
15:08
At the Paris motor show - the food crisis and the plight of Indonesian farmers are on nobody's mind here. Biofuels are still being hailed a green alternative. The EU is still holding on to its 10 percent quota.
15:26
OTON, J. Beretta, Peugeot: If we assume that all new engines will be able to run on a 10 percent biofuel mixture then the immediate effect on the environment will be huge. In the long run we want to see as many cars as possible run on biofuels, then the cumulative effect on the climate would be even bigger.
15:48
The EU guideline has encouraged carmakers to develop cars that can handle high concentrations of biofuel. Instead Brussels could have given carmakers the incentive to research and develop eco-friendly alternatives to the old combustion engine.
The French oil giant Total also simply did what the EU dictated. The company therefore doesn't feel responsible for the consequences on the other side of the world.
16:17
OTON, J. Blondy, Total: Until 2005, 2006 Total voluntarily blended biofuels into conventional fuel. Then we were ordered to do so by law and this legislation still affects our actions at Total till today.
OTON, J. Blondy, Total: We at Total always used to buy biofuel from local companies, from German and French biofuel companies. I don't know however, whether these companies import the plant fuel or produce it themselves.
16:56
Nobody really bothers to question where the biofuel they buy comes from.
In every liter of diesel sold in Europe there is always a percentage of biofuel. The lower the world market price for biofuel is, the higher the dose - at times it's up to a quarter. The cheapest biofuel - palm oil - is in particularly high demand. The EU imports more than 3 million tonnes of palm oil a year.
17:26
Whether its rape seed, maize, or palm oil, Europe is promoting the use of energy plants and creating financial incentives. Every country has launched its own programmes. With tax benefits on top of already high prices, oil and electricity companies are guaranteed huge proftis with biofuels.
Six billion Euros in subsidies have been allocated alone to convert public transport vehicles to biofuel. Electricity produced with biofuel has been subsidiesed since 2003.
Energy companies like “mycity”, a northern German supplier are in the market for cheap plant oil, but they advertise their electricity as a green and sustainable alternative.
18:14
OTON Uelzen Vox Pop 1:
Yes I think it's good. I've changed over to green energy.
18:18
OTON Uelzen Vox Pop 2:
Yes at least it's better for the environment. But I wouldn't mind it being a bit cheaper.
OTON Uelzen Vox Pop 3:
Yes, we live in nature and we come from nature. So I'd say it makes me feel good to support this.
18:37
But part of the “green” energy made in Germany comes from power plants that run on palm oil. There are more than 2000 such power plants throughout the country already. It's a lucrative business. A special law in Germany, the renewable energy law guarantees a minimum price for electricity from renewable sources. But with biofuel, the problem is, that the source isn't questioned.
This has lead to a situation whereby some Green energy suppliers in Germany are contributing to food shortages in countries on the other side of the world. Unknowingly their customers are supporting these shortsighted policies.
Every year biofuel power plant owners earn more than 100 million euros extra due to Germany's renewable energy law.
Nobody controls how much palm oil is burnt in the process.
19:36
At the world climate summit in 2007 on the Indonesian island of Bali, governments and NGOs from around the world struggled to agree on a binding commitment to green energy. The chance to change the tide on this looming humanitarian and environmental disaster was missed completely.
Instead european politicians continue to propagate biofuels as the saviour of our climate. They are holding on to the myth that plant based fuels, regardless where they are from, can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The competition between food and fuel is left out of the equation.
20:11
Outside the conference Indonesian critics of the biofuel programme have gathered. But they're not allowed to demonstrate here.
20:20
Inge: Excuse me but what do you have to check? Why are these people not allowed to demonstrate here?
Polizist: Because this demonstration has not been allowed.
20:28
Somat has travelled from Sumatra to Bali to demonstrate against the international palm oil companies and their insatiable hunger for biofuels.
20:41
OTON, Somat: Nobody in Indonesia agrees with your biofuel policy. We just don't have the space here anymore. We need the space to grow food. These biofuels are killing us, they are taking away our food and our drinking water. This is what makes me so angry.”
21:07
The protests begin to show results. A delegation of German politicians travels to Borneo to see for themselves the effects of palm oil monocultures.
Among them are some of the pioneers of the European biofuels movement.
Upon her arrival, Bärbel Höhn, the architect of the German biofuel policy, is still convinced that they are part of solution for climate change.
21:36
We were meant to accompany the group on a visit to a palm oil plantation, but at the last moment the owners tell us we're not welcome. We ask the politicians to film their visit for us.
21:56
The parliamentarians want to find out if it makes sense to introdue a so called eco label for palm oil production. The western politicians are woed and mollycoddled every step of the way. The plantation owners know full well that theys are the ones who decide whether Europe will introduce an eco certificate for sustainable palm oil production. It could bring an end to the logging of the rain forest and an end to the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. But even such a lable would not
ensure that Indonesia's have enough to eat in future.
22:38
OTON Übersetzerin:
Like I say the demand right now for biofuels is increasing.
22:47
The problems can not be overlooked. But some politicians are trying to minimize the damage.
22:52
OTON, Bärbel Höhn, Die Grünen:
We have to make sure that we keep these risks as small as possible. We can do this we just have to find the right ways. For example we need a proper form of certification, one that really deserves the name.
23:09
Back to Din Perulak. All his knowledge about nature has become obsolete. The forest where he lived has been destroyed. Indonesia's indiginous people have lost their traditional homes, due to the oil palm plantations and they are going hungry.
23:31
The Orang Rimba live along the Sumatra highway now. It is embarrassing for them but they are forced to beg for food from the few remaining farmers who still own land.
23:46
We are hungry, Din says and ask the farmer to dig out a few roots for them. Today his clan is lucky. The women are given a whole Cassava. The roots are now their main food. They are high in starch but contain too little fat, protein and vitamines. They have nothing left to trade.
The massive logging has also distroyed the rattan bushes which they used to weave baskets.
24:14
Europe's biofuel programme, subsidized with taxpayers' money,has caused hunger in Indonesia. Even the planned eco certificate will not be able to change anything about that.
24:30
It takes four years until the palm oil nuts are ripe, that's why more and more land is being turned into plantations. It's the only way to ensure an uninterrupted and constant supply. Only few farmers still own their own land. In order to survive, they help out on the plantations at harvest time.
The palm oil nuts have to be harvested and pressed within 24 hours, otherwise they beginn to rott. The transport business is entirely in the hands of the large companies. They determine the price. When the price of oil is high, demand for palm oil is high and so are the prices. But when the oil price drops, like during the worldwide financial crisis, there is no work and no pay. The entire region has become dependent on the world maket.
25:13
The palm oil presses at the edge of the fields run all day long
Every day tonnes of CO2 are emitted here, in order to produce a product that is meant to help improve our climate. It's a calculation that just doesn't add up. Indonesia alone produced 14 million tonnes of palm oil
last year. 90 percent of it was made for export.
Ordinary Indonesians do not reap any of the benefits from this boom.
On the contrary palm oil has become scarce and expensive for them.
Outside the palm oil press of a large corporation, which markets its oil as sustainable in Europe, Indonesian children fight to get hold of the few palm oil nuts and the waste that falls by the wayside.
26:26
They are forced to collect only the waste that is left over from the lucrative palm oil business. In order to earn just a few cent to buy themselves something to eat. A advertising sign sums up the misleading message the government and industry would like the Indonesian people to believe. It reads: “Palm oil, a safe income for our farmers and the bio trend of the future!”
27:06
Day and night palm oil trucks carry their loads along Suamtra's dirt roads. All roads lead to Dumai, Indonesia's main palm oil exporting port.
Only a few sea miles from the Malaysian coast. This is where the world's largest palm oil company Wilma has its refineries. It is the main supplier of palm oil for Europe. We would have liked to ask how much palm oil is exported from here and how many liters of biofuel are shipped to Europe from here.
But we are not allowed to film. The company is secretive we are told because of all the smuggling that goes on here. Since the Indonesian government introduced high export duties in order to controll the export of palm oil and ensure its domestic supply, smuggling is rife here.
To find out how much is really exported we go out to sea.
27:57
The Wilmar corporation is just loading the „Stolt Confidence“, a large tanker from neighbouring Malaysia. We receive confirmation that the shipment is destined for Germany and Denmark. We also find out that there is no official record of this ship having been in Indonesia.
The people in the palm oil port of Dumai are desperately poor.
Since the EU has decided to import palm oil for fuel and energy purposes, the price of palm oil has more than doubled and the supply has dropped. palm oil is the only fatt that these people have to fry and cook their food.
28:47
OTON Vox Pop Indo 1:
It isn't fair. It is all being exported and we don't have enough cooking oil even. You first have to make sure that people have enough to eat. Stop these exports, we don't have enough left here.
29:02
OTON Vox Pop Indo 2:
Really we are rich. We are rich in palm oil, but although the palm oil is made in our country, it has become very expensive here.
29:13
OTON Vox Pop Indo 3:
The way I see it, there are so many palm oil plantations here but we hardly see any of the oil. It is scarce and expensive.
29:28
Only in 2008 do Europe's Green party politicians realize that biofuels are
causing food shortages in developing countries. They change their policies and start to call biofuels agrofuels.
29:41
OTON, Claude Turmes:
We have tabled a vote against the EU's current agrofuel quota. We Greens were in favour of zero percent, but we were only able to move the others from 10 to 4 percent. Still it was a big success for us.
29:58
But lowering the quota to 4 percent doesn't solve the hunger problem.
Even to fulfil this new quota an area the size of Belgium has to be transformed into palm oil monocultures each year.
Francoise Grossetête represents president Nicolas Sarcozy’s party.
She is concerned about the problem.
But like many politicians she sees the responsibility elsewhere.
30:23
OTON, Francoise Grossetête:
I think our automobile industry has to do a lot more both in terms of research and new developments in order to produce cleaner cars as fast as possible. There is already a mandatory quota for biofuels in conventional fuel and we will continue to have such a quota in future.
31:54
Like many politicians Madame Grossetête sees no need to change existing policies or the cars we drive. She likes to drive fast, but that's caused her to have to take taxis for a while.
31:13
And what do the car makers say? We ask Germany's largest luxury carmaker Daimler. The company has continued to focus on large-engine limousines and trucks. Biofuels and the european guidelines suit the company's future plans well. Daimler is hedging its bets on the second generation of biofuels which according to the company no longer compete with food production. Professor Herbert Kohler is an expert for new generation biofuels at Daimler.
31:46
OTON, Prof. H. Kohler, Mercedes:
We mustn't forget that we have 800 million cars worldwide and they all need fuel. So we have always welcomed the biofuel quota as a measure
for here and now.
31:53
Daimler is looking ahead to try and find viable alternatives to oil. The company has been experimenting with new plant-based fuels. One of these is made from the Jatropha nut. Jatropha is viewed as unproblematic, as the plant grows on fallow land and does not compete with food farming.
Daimler got involved in publicly financed Jatropha projects in 2004 already.
32:34
OTON, Prof. H. Kohler, Mercedes:
Our involvement with Jatropha was aimed at being part of this new development from the beginning, that we support the initial stages also financially. But given the huge distance we can't acompany such projects over a longer term.
33:53
Biofuel traders get together for a Jatropha conference – the new fuel is viewed as a good business opportunity. Participants have to pay 1700 euros entrance fee. African countries are especially keen to see Jatropha become the next big biofuel.
This man represents the Congolese government's interests in biofuel.
Everybody wants to profit from the boom. Many countries are keen to get their hands into the EU's huge pot of subsidies. Piero Venturi reveals just how much Europe has earmarked for biofuel research.
33:27
O-Ton Venturi: 53 billion euros.
33:30
The EU has high hopes in biofuel.
33:34
OTON, P. Venturi:
With Jatropha there will be no competition between food and fuel production. Jatropha is poisonous and can not be used for food production, like we have seen with maize for example, where there is undoubtedly competition with food. With Jatropha I don't think we have this problem, because it is not grown on land that is used for food production.
34:16
We go to India to find out if the EU's biofuel expert is right.
This is where the first international Jatrophaoil project was started in 2003. The land must be well irrigated. But even on furtile ground the plants need at least three years to bare the first fruit. The Indian government has allocated 110 million hectars for Jatropha cultivation.
50 million of them alone are in the state of Rajastan.
These milk cows need plenty of water. The people here live from milk production. But three years ago in Rajastan Jatropha plantations started to take over more and more of the fertile pasture land.Jatropha is ment to grow on fallow land. But the plants grow slowly and now already the poisonous bushes are taking away valuable pasture land from India's sacred cows.
35:20
More than a third of India's milk products come from Rajastan.
Millions of Indians rely on milk as their main source of protein.
The majority of the population do not eat meat either for religious reasons or because they can't afford it. Cows are sacred in India,
not least because they have such an important role in feeding the nation.
35:55
First the public village pastures were converted into Jatropha plantations. Day labourers were hired for a few cent to plant the bushes.
Nobody told them who will harvest the Jatropha nuts and whom they belong to. The dairy farmers see the plant as competition because it infringes on their pasture land and takes too much water out of the ground.
36:24
OTON, Tejeram Gameti:
When the plants grow bigger it will just get worse. I only own one cow and I can only let it graze on the village pasture. But at some point there nothing but Jatropha left here and no more grass. The cows will go hungry and poor farmers like myself won't have anything left.
36:47
ICRISAT is India's leading biotechnology institute.
It has received European development money, among others from the German society for technical cooperation, the GTZ, to research the Jatropha plant. There have been no concrete results so far. But the aim is to cultivate the plant in a way that it can grow in arid regions like the desert and produce the highest possilbe oil content. Since the EU has legislated the use of biofuels the institute has been trying to cultivate various types of Jatropha most suited for biofuel production. The head of this pioneer Jatropha project is Doctror X Wani.
DR WANI ENGLISH
38:08
At last after five years ICRISAT has had its first harvest. Their plants have grown on well irrigated and well fertilized soil. So far the tests show that the plant needs enough water to produce any significant amount of oil. Also only the cernel/ center of the nuts can be used, all other parts of the plant can not be used for biofuel production. It seems that the plant needs a lot of space for comparatively little biofuel. This is what makes Jatropha problematic, as it competes with farming land.
In the laboratory scientists are researching the plants genes. It could take years of research, without any guarantee of success, before a type of Jatropha is developed which fulfils all the criteria of being a sustainable souce for biofuel.
38:56
OTON, Dr. WANI: ENGLISH
39:25
India's largest biofuel factory near Hyderabad. It has been in operation since 2007. Dr. Wani's initial research findings have simply been ignored. Tonnes and tonnes of oil-containing nuts are pressed here.
As there are still too few Jatropha nuts, maize cernels and Pongamia nuts are pressed here. But palm oil is also used.
With the demand for biofuels on the rise, the machines here are busy day and night. The technology is from Germany. That's where the world's leading manufacturers of biofuel presses are situated. The factory which was meant to supply biofuel only for the Indian market, was financed largely with European tax money. Now it is joint Geman and Indian private ownership.
40:23
OTON, S. Wasarau, Biodieselfabrik: ENGLISH
40:48
Another, much larger factory is already under construction. It will produce entirely for export.
41:00
On the streets of Udaipur, in the state of Rajastan, these people are demonstrating for better pay and the right to afford at least two meals a day. The situation is tense, because prices for basic foods are rising. Especially grain and vege prices have doubled in recent months. 60 percent of India's population still live on less than one euro per day. Since food has become so expensive, they have just enough money for one meal per day.
41:46
We drive on alongside the land earmarked for Jatropha plantations. We meet Cunnilal Gameti, an organic farmer. His vegetable field is also destined to be turned into a Jatropha plantation according to the plans of the Indian government.
42:11
OTON, Cunnilal Gameti:
I don't want to grow Jatropha here. My livelyhood depends on this land and the vegetables I grow on it. Is a safe income, because people always need food. I am proud to be able to produce food for people. That is my duty as a farmer. I would only grow Jatropha on land where nothing else can grow.
42:33
There is plenty of publicly owned fallow land in India. But it makes no sense to grow Jatropha there. The farmer's experience is that the dream of producing biofuels without taking away valuable farming land is a green fairytale. These Jatropha bushes were planted three years ago and they still don't bear a single fruit.
But the Indian government is pressuring the rural population into giving up their land for Jatropha. Hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers face the same plight as Gameti.
43:08
Billions of euros from European taxpayers are being poured into short sighted
biofuel policies which in future are set to become the biggest single cause of hunger in the world.
43:20
THE END
TRAILER:
45 million people depend on the rainforest for food. But many are at risk of starvation -- due to a new kind of fuel. It is used in cars and to produce electricity. This is the story of biofuel – and how global demand for it, is threatening the food supplies of billions.
TITEL: THE BIOFUEL MYTH
00:58
At the beginning of the new millenium the EU parliament tried to usher in a new green revolution. The green party lead the way singing the praises of biofuels. One of the most passionate advocates was Claude Turmes, energy expert of the European greens.
01:14
OTON, Claude Turmes:
Renewable energy is the ernergy form of the 21. century. For our climate, for our environment, to secure our independence from oil and gas, but also in terms of development policy there is no future for billions of people in the world without renewable energies.
01:39
The green policies prove popular: In 2003 the european parliament decides that member countries are to blend 2 percent of biofuels from plant based oils such as maize, rape seed, soya and palm oil nuts with conventional fuel. Biofuels are seen as climate friendly and resource friendly because the plants grow back.
02:02
The EU is funding research into biofuels and their cultivation with billions of euros. The 2 percent biofuel mix is mandatory. European subsidies are financing the transformation of the automobile industry.
Meanwhile almost every new car can run on a mixture of on up 30 percent biofuel.
The German government has even introduced a new 2.500 euro bonus for those who scrap their old cars and buy a new one. Green fuel straight from the farm is seen as the answer to Europe's energy hunger. Consumers like the idea.
02:47
OTON VOX POP 1: It helps to lower our oil consumption, farmers make good money from it too and it helps them secure their livelihood by moving in a new direction.
02:59
OTON VOX POP 2: It's good, it's not expensive and it's economical.
03:06
OTON VOX POP 3: I'm thinking of the future, and maybe its a way to save oil in order to help the planet.
03:18
Meanwhile on the other side of the world in Indonesia natural rainforests are being turned into palm oil plantations, because Europe consumes far more biofuels than it produces. The existing palm oil plantations produce oil used in food and household products. This is why new plantations are needed. These new monocultures are being set up with European tax payers money. EU subsidies are thereby endangering the livelihoods of some 45 million Indonesians.
03:54
One of them is the Din Perulak, chief of the Orang Rimba tribe.
04:08
OTON, Din Perulak:
We don't own any land, we have no fixed abode. People must understand this and they must know that by cutting down the rainforest they are taking away our home, it will be the end of us. Where else are we to get the food we need to survive?
04:34
Din has lived all his live from the plants and the animals in the rainforest. His natural food supply is being taken away. The clear areas are turned into plantations. The monocultures that are being set up here will take four years to bear the first fruit.
04:50
We first met Din's clan back in 2001. Back then he still lived in the forest near a national park deep in central Sumatra.
05:07
The jungel is home to tigers and an large number of rare and endangered plant and wildlife species. A few years ago it was large enough still to feed wildlife and humans alike. The Orang Rimba tribe is self-reliant. They hunt animals, fish and collect plants.
05:34
The Orang Rimba believe the rainforest has a soul. The wild is like father and mother to them. This is why they call themselves the children of the rainforest.
They live from its plants and animals and the large trees give them shelter from wind and rain. The Orang Rimba believe that the gods have chosen their people to live in the rain forest and enable them to survive there. Nobody knows how to survive there better than they do.
06:17
They weave baskets with rattan to barter for food they can't find in the rainforest. They give the baskets to local farmers in exchange for food, such as sweet potatos. In the past they were entirely self-reliant and had enough to eat here. Their whole life the Orang Rimba tribe lived in harmony with nature. They have great respect for it, using it but not destroying it.
06:51
They believe that the spirits sometimes turn evil and haunt the souls of the children. They believe the spirits kill their children or make them very sick. This is what happens when the forest is destroyed, they tell each other by the fireside. They complain about the large corporations that are responsible for cutting down the rainforest. The Indonesian paper and palm oil giant SINAR MAS poses one of the biggest threats to them.
07:20
The cheif has seen with his own eyes how SINAR MAS operates here. First they cut down the trees,
then they sell the wood, then they let the soil dry out and plant their oilpalm plantations everywhere.
07:40
While Din tells us about the problem, we hear the chain saws at work.
It's the first time that the loggers have moved in this close to the forest of the Orang Rimba. It makes them very scared.
07:57
But still a small group of them get together to go and see what's happening.
08:18
The tribes people are powerless. They can only stand by and watch their living space being destroyed. The Orang Rimba believe that the gods are driven out of the forest with each tree that is felled.
08:35
Since the early 80s some 60 million hectars have fallen victim to the
chain saws. An area the size of France. At first the wood was used to make furniture and paper. Then palm oil plantations were started for food oils and soaps. But since the palm oil is being used in Europe a a biofuel
for cars and electricity production, the natural rainforest has been shrinking even faster.
08:57
Burning down the forest is still the cheapest and fastest way to make way for palm oil plantations. Due to this process Indonesia has become the third biggest greenhouse gas emitter in the world.
09:19
But despite this in 2006 the Indonesian government decided on a new masterplan. 26 million hectars of forest, an area the size of Great Britain has been earmarked for palm oil plantations. After all the government earns a lot of money through palm oil exports.
09:45
Palm oil plantations as far as the eye can see. Bad times for small farmers in Indonesia, who grow their produce in the rainforest.
This is where a forest once stood that supported an entire village.
Somat is a farmer who made his living with rubber trees and by growing vegetables. In 2003 SINAR MAS stole his land.
10:11
OTON, Somat: I'm furious. These oilpalms are standing on my land, but i don't get any of the proceeds from their fruits. Since they simply took away our farmland, we've seen nothing from them.
10:26
The farmland is becoming smaller and smaller. The farmers are unable to even grow enough produce to feed the Indonesian people. Since 2006 Indonesia has been dependent on rice imports. Food prices have risen sharply. There has been no compensation for the farmers, since the village forest has disappeared.
10:46
But some farmers from Sarolongun have come together to try and fight back. In the spring of 2007 they traveled to the provincial capital to demonstrate against their mistreatment by the plantation owner
Sinar Mas The farmers chant: „Stop the theft! Give us back our land!“
11:10
Feri Irawan is a well known environmental activist in Indonesia.
He advises the farmers and supports them in their dealings with the authorities and industry. He demands that the police let the demonstrators into the town hall for them to be able to tell the council how they have been treated.
11:32
The police officer is friendly and promises to check if the council is there. He asks the demonstrators to be patient.
11:50
But the protests only get louder. Their anger has been building up for several years now.
11:59
Somat says they have come to tell the authorities about their plight and how the large corporations stole their land. The logging began four years ago already. The farmers have no income he says and that Sinar Mas ows them compensation.
12:28
After difficult negotiations five representatives of the farmers are allowed to enter the town hall. It's the first time they've been granted the oportunity to tell their story.
12:40
The farmers have documents to prove they own the land but the company just ignored them and the government has so far not done anything about the matter.
12:51
The army is protecting the interests of Sinar Mas. Its officers protect the companies and even influence the decisions of politicians. Corruption is one of the biggest problems. The council tries to mediate.
13:05
OTON, Cik Endra, Landrat: We have contacted SINAR MAS several times and they said they have no problem with the farmers and also want the goverment to finally clear up the question who owns the land and that the government should compensate the farmers if necessary.
13:30
The council is under pressure to serve the government's interests.
13:36
OTON, Cik Endra, Landrat:
The government supports the worldwide biofuel programme. That's why they need companies like Sinar Mas to turn more land into palm oil plantations. But there are limits too. We have no more land here. But still we will make sure more palm oil plantations are set up elsewhere.
13:53
The talks end with an absurd suggestion. The farmers are to be given back their land if they take on the three million euro loan which Sinar Mas took out in order to pay for the palm oil plantation. The company knows full well that this will never happen. The government too can say it tried to mediate, while it continues to cooperate with the most important exporter of palm oil.
Where does the company see its responsibilities towards the farmers given the domestic food shortages in Indonesia?
14:26
OTON, Daud Dharsono, Sinar Mas:
If they like it or not everyone needs food. They use palm oil to fry food, and cook with margarine made from palm oil. And that palm oil is now also the biofuel of the future is a great thing, it’s incredibly cheap. We have to turn more land into palm oil plantations to meet the demand in future.
14:57
The farmers have no chance against Sinar Mas. They don't even get compensation for the land they have lost. And the company can continue to log forest to make way for palm oil plantations.
15:08
At the Paris motor show - the food crisis and the plight of Indonesian farmers are on nobody's mind here. Biofuels are still being hailed a green alternative. The EU is still holding on to its 10 percent quota.
15:26
OTON, J. Beretta, Peugeot: If we assume that all new engines will be able to run on a 10 percent biofuel mixture then the immediate effect on the environment will be huge. In the long run we want to see as many cars as possible run on biofuels, then the cumulative effect on the climate would be even bigger.
15:48
The EU guideline has encouraged carmakers to develop cars that can handle high concentrations of biofuel. Instead Brussels could have given carmakers the incentive to research and develop eco-friendly alternatives to the old combustion engine.
The French oil giant Total also simply did what the EU dictated. The company therefore doesn't feel responsible for the consequences on the other side of the world.
16:17
OTON, J. Blondy, Total: Until 2005, 2006 Total voluntarily blended biofuels into conventional fuel. Then we were ordered to do so by law and this legislation still affects our actions at Total till today.
OTON, J. Blondy, Total: We at Total always used to buy biofuel from local companies, from German and French biofuel companies. I don't know however, whether these companies import the plant fuel or produce it themselves.
16:56
Nobody really bothers to question where the biofuel they buy comes from.
In every liter of diesel sold in Europe there is always a percentage of biofuel. The lower the world market price for biofuel is, the higher the dose - at times it's up to a quarter. The cheapest biofuel - palm oil - is in particularly high demand. The EU imports more than 3 million tonnes of palm oil a year.
17:26
Whether its rape seed, maize, or palm oil, Europe is promoting the use of energy plants and creating financial incentives. Every country has launched its own programmes. With tax benefits on top of already high prices, oil and electricity companies are guaranteed huge proftis with biofuels.
Six billion Euros in subsidies have been allocated alone to convert public transport vehicles to biofuel. Electricity produced with biofuel has been subsidiesed since 2003.
Energy companies like “mycity”, a northern German supplier are in the market for cheap plant oil, but they advertise their electricity as a green and sustainable alternative.
18:14
OTON Uelzen Vox Pop 1:
Yes I think it's good. I've changed over to green energy.
18:18
OTON Uelzen Vox Pop 2:
Yes at least it's better for the environment. But I wouldn't mind it being a bit cheaper.
OTON Uelzen Vox Pop 3:
Yes, we live in nature and we come from nature. So I'd say it makes me feel good to support this.
18:37
But part of the “green” energy made in Germany comes from power plants that run on palm oil. There are more than 2000 such power plants throughout the country already. It's a lucrative business. A special law in Germany, the renewable energy law guarantees a minimum price for electricity from renewable sources. But with biofuel, the problem is, that the source isn't questioned.
This has lead to a situation whereby some Green energy suppliers in Germany are contributing to food shortages in countries on the other side of the world. Unknowingly their customers are supporting these shortsighted policies.
Every year biofuel power plant owners earn more than 100 million euros extra due to Germany's renewable energy law.
Nobody controls how much palm oil is burnt in the process.
19:36
At the world climate summit in 2007 on the Indonesian island of Bali, governments and NGOs from around the world struggled to agree on a binding commitment to green energy. The chance to change the tide on this looming humanitarian and environmental disaster was missed completely.
Instead european politicians continue to propagate biofuels as the saviour of our climate. They are holding on to the myth that plant based fuels, regardless where they are from, can reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. The competition between food and fuel is left out of the equation.
20:11
Outside the conference Indonesian critics of the biofuel programme have gathered. But they're not allowed to demonstrate here.
20:20
Inge: Excuse me but what do you have to check? Why are these people not allowed to demonstrate here?
Polizist: Because this demonstration has not been allowed.
20:28
Somat has travelled from Sumatra to Bali to demonstrate against the international palm oil companies and their insatiable hunger for biofuels.
20:41
OTON, Somat: Nobody in Indonesia agrees with your biofuel policy. We just don't have the space here anymore. We need the space to grow food. These biofuels are killing us, they are taking away our food and our drinking water. This is what makes me so angry.”
21:07
The protests begin to show results. A delegation of German politicians travels to Borneo to see for themselves the effects of palm oil monocultures.
Among them are some of the pioneers of the European biofuels movement.
Upon her arrival, Bärbel Höhn, the architect of the German biofuel policy, is still convinced that they are part of solution for climate change.
21:36
We were meant to accompany the group on a visit to a palm oil plantation, but at the last moment the owners tell us we're not welcome. We ask the politicians to film their visit for us.
21:56
The parliamentarians want to find out if it makes sense to introdue a so called eco label for palm oil production. The western politicians are woed and mollycoddled every step of the way. The plantation owners know full well that theys are the ones who decide whether Europe will introduce an eco certificate for sustainable palm oil production. It could bring an end to the logging of the rain forest and an end to the use of toxic pesticides and fertilizers. But even such a lable would not
ensure that Indonesia's have enough to eat in future.
22:38
OTON Übersetzerin:
Like I say the demand right now for biofuels is increasing.
22:47
The problems can not be overlooked. But some politicians are trying to minimize the damage.
22:52
OTON, Bärbel Höhn, Die Grünen:
We have to make sure that we keep these risks as small as possible. We can do this we just have to find the right ways. For example we need a proper form of certification, one that really deserves the name.
23:09
Back to Din Perulak. All his knowledge about nature has become obsolete. The forest where he lived has been destroyed. Indonesia's indiginous people have lost their traditional homes, due to the oil palm plantations and they are going hungry.
23:31
The Orang Rimba live along the Sumatra highway now. It is embarrassing for them but they are forced to beg for food from the few remaining farmers who still own land.
23:46
We are hungry, Din says and ask the farmer to dig out a few roots for them. Today his clan is lucky. The women are given a whole Cassava. The roots are now their main food. They are high in starch but contain too little fat, protein and vitamines. They have nothing left to trade.
The massive logging has also distroyed the rattan bushes which they used to weave baskets.
24:14
Europe's biofuel programme, subsidized with taxpayers' money,has caused hunger in Indonesia. Even the planned eco certificate will not be able to change anything about that.
24:30
It takes four years until the palm oil nuts are ripe, that's why more and more land is being turned into plantations. It's the only way to ensure an uninterrupted and constant supply. Only few farmers still own their own land. In order to survive, they help out on the plantations at harvest time.
The palm oil nuts have to be harvested and pressed within 24 hours, otherwise they beginn to rott. The transport business is entirely in the hands of the large companies. They determine the price. When the price of oil is high, demand for palm oil is high and so are the prices. But when the oil price drops, like during the worldwide financial crisis, there is no work and no pay. The entire region has become dependent on the world maket.
25:13
The palm oil presses at the edge of the fields run all day long
Every day tonnes of CO2 are emitted here, in order to produce a product that is meant to help improve our climate. It's a calculation that just doesn't add up. Indonesia alone produced 14 million tonnes of palm oil
last year. 90 percent of it was made for export.
Ordinary Indonesians do not reap any of the benefits from this boom.
On the contrary palm oil has become scarce and expensive for them.
Outside the palm oil press of a large corporation, which markets its oil as sustainable in Europe, Indonesian children fight to get hold of the few palm oil nuts and the waste that falls by the wayside.
26:26
They are forced to collect only the waste that is left over from the lucrative palm oil business. In order to earn just a few cent to buy themselves something to eat. A advertising sign sums up the misleading message the government and industry would like the Indonesian people to believe. It reads: “Palm oil, a safe income for our farmers and the bio trend of the future!”
27:06
Day and night palm oil trucks carry their loads along Suamtra's dirt roads. All roads lead to Dumai, Indonesia's main palm oil exporting port.
Only a few sea miles from the Malaysian coast. This is where the world's largest palm oil company Wilma has its refineries. It is the main supplier of palm oil for Europe. We would have liked to ask how much palm oil is exported from here and how many liters of biofuel are shipped to Europe from here.
But we are not allowed to film. The company is secretive we are told because of all the smuggling that goes on here. Since the Indonesian government introduced high export duties in order to controll the export of palm oil and ensure its domestic supply, smuggling is rife here.
To find out how much is really exported we go out to sea.
27:57
The Wilmar corporation is just loading the „Stolt Confidence“, a large tanker from neighbouring Malaysia. We receive confirmation that the shipment is destined for Germany and Denmark. We also find out that there is no official record of this ship having been in Indonesia.
The people in the palm oil port of Dumai are desperately poor.
Since the EU has decided to import palm oil for fuel and energy purposes, the price of palm oil has more than doubled and the supply has dropped. palm oil is the only fatt that these people have to fry and cook their food.
28:47
OTON Vox Pop Indo 1:
It isn't fair. It is all being exported and we don't have enough cooking oil even. You first have to make sure that people have enough to eat. Stop these exports, we don't have enough left here.
29:02
OTON Vox Pop Indo 2:
Really we are rich. We are rich in palm oil, but although the palm oil is made in our country, it has become very expensive here.
29:13
OTON Vox Pop Indo 3:
The way I see it, there are so many palm oil plantations here but we hardly see any of the oil. It is scarce and expensive.
29:28
Only in 2008 do Europe's Green party politicians realize that biofuels are
causing food shortages in developing countries. They change their policies and start to call biofuels agrofuels.
29:41
OTON, Claude Turmes:
We have tabled a vote against the EU's current agrofuel quota. We Greens were in favour of zero percent, but we were only able to move the others from 10 to 4 percent. Still it was a big success for us.
29:58
But lowering the quota to 4 percent doesn't solve the hunger problem.
Even to fulfil this new quota an area the size of Belgium has to be transformed into palm oil monocultures each year.
Francoise Grossetête represents president Nicolas Sarcozy’s party.
She is concerned about the problem.
But like many politicians she sees the responsibility elsewhere.
30:23
OTON, Francoise Grossetête:
I think our automobile industry has to do a lot more both in terms of research and new developments in order to produce cleaner cars as fast as possible. There is already a mandatory quota for biofuels in conventional fuel and we will continue to have such a quota in future.
31:54
Like many politicians Madame Grossetête sees no need to change existing policies or the cars we drive. She likes to drive fast, but that's caused her to have to take taxis for a while.
31:13
And what do the car makers say? We ask Germany's largest luxury carmaker Daimler. The company has continued to focus on large-engine limousines and trucks. Biofuels and the european guidelines suit the company's future plans well. Daimler is hedging its bets on the second generation of biofuels which according to the company no longer compete with food production. Professor Herbert Kohler is an expert for new generation biofuels at Daimler.
31:46
OTON, Prof. H. Kohler, Mercedes:
We mustn't forget that we have 800 million cars worldwide and they all need fuel. So we have always welcomed the biofuel quota as a measure
for here and now.
31:53
Daimler is looking ahead to try and find viable alternatives to oil. The company has been experimenting with new plant-based fuels. One of these is made from the Jatropha nut. Jatropha is viewed as unproblematic, as the plant grows on fallow land and does not compete with food farming.
Daimler got involved in publicly financed Jatropha projects in 2004 already.
32:34
OTON, Prof. H. Kohler, Mercedes:
Our involvement with Jatropha was aimed at being part of this new development from the beginning, that we support the initial stages also financially. But given the huge distance we can't acompany such projects over a longer term.
33:53
Biofuel traders get together for a Jatropha conference – the new fuel is viewed as a good business opportunity. Participants have to pay 1700 euros entrance fee. African countries are especially keen to see Jatropha become the next big biofuel.
This man represents the Congolese government's interests in biofuel.
Everybody wants to profit from the boom. Many countries are keen to get their hands into the EU's huge pot of subsidies. Piero Venturi reveals just how much Europe has earmarked for biofuel research.
33:27
O-Ton Venturi: 53 billion euros.
33:30
The EU has high hopes in biofuel.
33:34
OTON, P. Venturi:
With Jatropha there will be no competition between food and fuel production. Jatropha is poisonous and can not be used for food production, like we have seen with maize for example, where there is undoubtedly competition with food. With Jatropha I don't think we have this problem, because it is not grown on land that is used for food production.
34:16
We go to India to find out if the EU's biofuel expert is right.
This is where the first international Jatrophaoil project was started in 2003. The land must be well irrigated. But even on furtile ground the plants need at least three years to bare the first fruit. The Indian government has allocated 110 million hectars for Jatropha cultivation.
50 million of them alone are in the state of Rajastan.
These milk cows need plenty of water. The people here live from milk production. But three years ago in Rajastan Jatropha plantations started to take over more and more of the fertile pasture land.Jatropha is ment to grow on fallow land. But the plants grow slowly and now already the poisonous bushes are taking away valuable pasture land from India's sacred cows.
35:20
More than a third of India's milk products come from Rajastan.
Millions of Indians rely on milk as their main source of protein.
The majority of the population do not eat meat either for religious reasons or because they can't afford it. Cows are sacred in India,
not least because they have such an important role in feeding the nation.
35:55
First the public village pastures were converted into Jatropha plantations. Day labourers were hired for a few cent to plant the bushes.
Nobody told them who will harvest the Jatropha nuts and whom they belong to. The dairy farmers see the plant as competition because it infringes on their pasture land and takes too much water out of the ground.
36:24
OTON, Tejeram Gameti:
When the plants grow bigger it will just get worse. I only own one cow and I can only let it graze on the village pasture. But at some point there nothing but Jatropha left here and no more grass. The cows will go hungry and poor farmers like myself won't have anything left.
36:47
ICRISAT is India's leading biotechnology institute.
It has received European development money, among others from the German society for technical cooperation, the GTZ, to research the Jatropha plant. There have been no concrete results so far. But the aim is to cultivate the plant in a way that it can grow in arid regions like the desert and produce the highest possilbe oil content. Since the EU has legislated the use of biofuels the institute has been trying to cultivate various types of Jatropha most suited for biofuel production. The head of this pioneer Jatropha project is Doctror X Wani.
DR WANI ENGLISH
38:08
At last after five years ICRISAT has had its first harvest. Their plants have grown on well irrigated and well fertilized soil. So far the tests show that the plant needs enough water to produce any significant amount of oil. Also only the cernel/ center of the nuts can be used, all other parts of the plant can not be used for biofuel production. It seems that the plant needs a lot of space for comparatively little biofuel. This is what makes Jatropha problematic, as it competes with farming land.
In the laboratory scientists are researching the plants genes. It could take years of research, without any guarantee of success, before a type of Jatropha is developed which fulfils all the criteria of being a sustainable souce for biofuel.
38:56
OTON, Dr. WANI: ENGLISH
39:25
India's largest biofuel factory near Hyderabad. It has been in operation since 2007. Dr. Wani's initial research findings have simply been ignored. Tonnes and tonnes of oil-containing nuts are pressed here.
As there are still too few Jatropha nuts, maize cernels and Pongamia nuts are pressed here. But palm oil is also used.
With the demand for biofuels on the rise, the machines here are busy day and night. The technology is from Germany. That's where the world's leading manufacturers of biofuel presses are situated. The factory which was meant to supply biofuel only for the Indian market, was financed largely with European tax money. Now it is joint Geman and Indian private ownership.
40:23
OTON, S. Wasarau, Biodieselfabrik: ENGLISH
40:48
Another, much larger factory is already under construction. It will produce entirely for export.
41:00
On the streets of Udaipur, in the state of Rajastan, these people are demonstrating for better pay and the right to afford at least two meals a day. The situation is tense, because prices for basic foods are rising. Especially grain and vege prices have doubled in recent months. 60 percent of India's population still live on less than one euro per day. Since food has become so expensive, they have just enough money for one meal per day.
41:46
We drive on alongside the land earmarked for Jatropha plantations. We meet Cunnilal Gameti, an organic farmer. His vegetable field is also destined to be turned into a Jatropha plantation according to the plans of the Indian government.
42:11
OTON, Cunnilal Gameti:
I don't want to grow Jatropha here. My livelyhood depends on this land and the vegetables I grow on it. Is a safe income, because people always need food. I am proud to be able to produce food for people. That is my duty as a farmer. I would only grow Jatropha on land where nothing else can grow.
42:33
There is plenty of publicly owned fallow land in India. But it makes no sense to grow Jatropha there. The farmer's experience is that the dream of producing biofuels without taking away valuable farming land is a green fairytale. These Jatropha bushes were planted three years ago and they still don't bear a single fruit.
But the Indian government is pressuring the rural population into giving up their land for Jatropha. Hundreds of thousands of Indian farmers face the same plight as Gameti.
43:08
Billions of euros from European taxpayers are being poured into short sighted
biofuel policies which in future are set to become the biggest single cause of hunger in the world.
43:20
THE END