Peyton Knight writes to say:

New Scientist reports that the current push by the European Union and Britain to meet their Kyoto Protocol emissions reduction targets is “having the perverse effect of encouraging the destruction of tropical rainforests.”Both the EU and Britain require their conventional fuels to be blended with biofuels such as palm oil and soybean oil. Just a couple problems: Palm oil production destroys rainforests in southeast Asia, and soybean oil production destroys rainforests in the Brazilian Amazon.

By increasing the demand for palm and soybean oil, the EU and Britain are driving up the cost of the oils, and consequently, production is increasing. And as production increases, more rainforest is leveled to make way for soybean and palm fields.

Seems any self-respecting eco-warrior should be chanting “Save a rainforest — Kill Kyoto!” at this week’s United Nations Climate Change Conference in Montreal.

Addendum, 12/1/05: Received in the mail this evening:

RE: Killing Rainforests — Kyoto StyleThis article is bunk. Mr. Knight makes blanket statements with no data whatsoever to back it up, no third party references to verify his claims. This kind of ‘greenie’ hype is typical – nothing but embellishment and exaggeration and wild unsubstantiated claims.

I notice you have no way for a person to publish comments on your blog. Typical of your mindset – free speech for you only.

Cordially – Joe Greene

I think we are being criticized from the right here; always a novelty.

Mr. Greene,The link to the New Scientist article that is the third word of Peyton’s note is a third party reference. However, if that is not enough for you, a few others, chosen at random from Google, can be found below. This story is all over the place. I think Drudge even had it. As for “comments enabled,” I just might do that some day — if I get a legal opinion okaying the publishing of public comments by people who won’t have any notion of the need to conform to rules covering material published by tax-exempt institutions. In the meantime, you retain your freedom of speech, which is a right unconnected to our subsidy of it. Indeed, if subsidy is the issue, be advised that Blogger is free.

A few others, at random, who are discussing biofuels and Kyoto. No endorsement of the content of any of these links is implied:

Telegraph: Green fuel plan ‘will destroy rainforests’FuturePundit: Biofuels Regulations Destroying Rainforests

Single State of Consciousness: Bio-Fuel not Necessary Environmentally Friendly

Enviropundit: Green Building Blog: Forests Paying the Price for Biofuels

bh: Biofuel hurts the rainforest

Texas Venture Capital Web 2.0 Blog: Green Policies Hurt Rainforest?

Save Our Earth – We can make a difference!

New Scientist News – Forests paying the price for biofuels

Climate Conundrum as Biofuel Threatens Rainforests

Biofuels threaten rainforests as important European Commission decision lies ahead

Cordially,Amy