By Hannah M. Muralla
Increased global demand for biofuel, for instance, is threatening to eat into the world’s food supply. The plant-based petroleum substitute comes either as bioethanol, from fermented vegetable mass--mainly sugarcane, corn, cassava or potatoes--or as biodiesel, a byproduct of processed plant oils, among them soybean, coconut and canola.
Its popularity in the transport sector has been boosted by both fluctuating fuel costs and government mandates. In the Philippines, the recently signed Biofuels Act is the driving force behind the E10, the 10% bioethanol blend being sold at local fuel stations. Amalie Obusan, climate and energy campaigner of Greenpeace Southeast Asia (Philippines), says the Philippine Energy Plan aims to increase this to 20% by 2030.
Amidst issues of sustainable agriculture, even independent green energy advocates are warning against future land use conflicts, the destruction of intact ecosystems, and threats to food security for the sake of planting more grains for fuel. Already, biofuel plantations in Brazil and Indonesia have encroached into pristine forest areas.
"Agricultural land is a finite resource and increasing demand for bioenergy crops could inevitably lead to increased competition for land between food and nonfood crops," the Greenpeace officer said.
The food-versus-fuel debate is far from a recent concern. Dam reservoirs have permanently flooded farmlands and natural habitats even as they provide hydropower--roughly 20% of the world’s electricity--to communities. The Three Gorges dam in China, which has displaced more than a million people, also led to the extinction of the Yangtze river dolphin after it blocked the tributaries where they nurtured their young.
The World Commission on Dams Framework (WCD), which reviewed experiences from 1,000 dams in 79 countries, reported that dam-building has physically displaced 40 to 80 million people worldwide, and most of them have been unable to regain their livelihood--mostly farming and fishing--after their relocation. Dams produce power by harnessing the energy of water flowing from a much high elevation: the steeper and faster the drop, the more electricity is generated.
"The dams that go with large-scale hydropower can drown ecosystems and hydro projects can be inconvenient during prolonged droughts and dry seasons when rivers dry up," added Ms. Obusan. A more viable option, according to Greenpeace, are small-scale or micro-hydro mechanisms, which can produce comparable amounts of electricity. "Small hydro systems capture the river's energy without diverting too much water away from its natural flow."
For its own dam building guidelines, the WCD suggests that governments explore all consequences before embarking on the construction, and should resettlement be inevitable, to provide surrounding communities, including those affected by dam-related infrastructure like transmission lines and irrigation, their entitlements.
In general, minimizing the negative impact of renewable energy sources means placing them in the context of sustainable development, what Ms. Obusan refers to as one that "meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Any project, she added, will have to seriously consider not only economic sustainability but also environment and socio-political sustainability.
In the past, advocacy group Greenpeace, which itself promotes the use of green energy, has stressed that eco-friendlier fuel sources should not be considered a "silver bullet" that would ensure the Philippines' energy security.
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