Once a Dream Fuel, Palm Oil May Be an Eco-Nightmare
AMSTERDAM, Jan. 25 – Just a few years ago, politicians and environmental groups in the Netherlands were thrilled by the early and rapid adoption of “sustainable energy,â€? achieved in part by coaxing electrical plants to use biofuel – in particular, palm oil from Southeast Asia.
Spurred by government subsidies, energy companies became so enthusiastic that they designed generators that ran exclusively on the oil, which in theory would be cleaner than fossil fuels like coal because it is derived from plants.