– Warns that plan threatens rainforests, communities, climate
Mkpoikana Udoma
Port Harcourt — A coalition of 68 international non-governmental organizations, led by the Corporate Accountability and Public Participation Africa, CAPPA, has warned the International Maritime Organization, IMO, against promoting biofuels in its Global Fuel Standard, GFS, arguing that the move would have devastating consequences for forests, communities, and the global climate.
In an open letter to the IMO Secretariat, the NGOs called on the IMO’s 176 member states to exclude biofuels from international shipping regulations and prioritize clean energy alternatives.
The letter was endorsed by 68 civil Society Organizations across the world including Friends of the Earth USA, Biofuel Watch, Stay Grounded, Green Squad, Fern, Inland Ocean Coalition, Earth Thrive, Mighty Earth, Forest Keeper, Campaign against Climate Change, as well as National Farmers Union of Canada
“This risks causing even more climate and environmental damage than oil, not less. The IMO’s 176 member states must exclude biofuels from the industry’s energy mix due to their devastating impacts on climate, communities, forests, and ecosystems,” the letter stated.
The call comes ahead of a crucial IMO meeting in London, where negotiations will determine which fuels and technologies will power the shipping sector in its efforts to cut greenhouse gas, GHG, emissions.
The coalition stressed that biofuels—particularly those derived from soy and palm oil—pose significant risks, including deforestation, food insecurity, as well as land and water grabbing.
“Food- and feed-based biofuels are connected to deforestation, food insecurity, land and water grabbing, and pollution from pesticides, all of which Brazil is already facing,” the groups wrote, warning that similar environmental destruction is happening in other countries like Colombia, Paraguay, Argentina, Indonesia, and Malaysia.
The letter specifically criticized Brazil for pushing biofuels as a long-term shipping fuel solution, despite evidence that expanding biofuel production has led to illegal land seizures, water pollution, and loss of indigenous land rights.
“Brazil’s palm oil production is expanding and has been linked to water pollution and large-scale land grabbing, much of it illegal. Now, Brazil is looking at shipping as its next customer for biofuels, but the social and environmental costs linked to this market expansion would be catastrophic,” the NGOs cautioned.
The letter also cited studies showing that biofuels made from vegetable oils, particularly soy and palm oil, produce higher life-cycle emissions than fossil diesel due to deforestation and land use changes.
“Allowing the use of biofuels under the GFS would jeopardize the very goals the IMO seeks to achieve,” the coalition warned, adding that the IMO’s climate policies must avoid false solutions and instead prioritize real alternatives.
The NGOs argued that better solutions for decarbonizing shipping already exist, including improved energy efficiency, stricter emissions standards, wind-assisted propulsion, and reducing the overall volume of goods transported by sea.
“The decarbonization of the shipping sector should not come at the cost of forests, communities, and food security. The IMO must prioritize real solutions, not false alternatives like biofuels.”
