Indonesia Is Pursuing the Worst Form of Solar Power
While the rest of the planet is catching on to the realities of energy, Indonesia is pursuing the most inefficient form of solar power — one that uses millions of hectares of land, is plagued by volatile supplies, and hides a dark legacy of environmental destruction behind its renewable image.
We're talking about palm oil. The red grease is ultimately solar energy, soaked up by trees and converted into fatty fruit that can be crushed and refined into biodiesel. For all the angst about palm oil in cosmetics or confectionery, and its effect on endangered orangutan and tiger populations, by far the biggest use is Indonesian fuel.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Bloomberg
41 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Vietnam's Coffee Crop Set for Higher Yields From Ample Rainfall
By and Nguyen Dieu Tu Uyen Save Vietnam's coffee crop is off to a strong start as heavy rainfall bolstered the supply outlook, which could put further pressure on global prices that are near a seven-month low. 'The weather has been quite favorable for coffee trees, with a lot of rain over the last few weeks,' said Trinh Duc Minh, chairman of the Buon Ma Thuot Coffee Association in Dak Lak. The precipitation came at the right time, when the trees needed water for fruiting, he said, adding that it also helped cut irrigation costs, allowing farmers to spend more on fertilizers.
News24
an hour ago
- News24
TotalEnergies on trial in landmark greenwashing case in France
Oil and gas giant TotalEnergies goes on trial in Paris over allegations of misleading climate claims. Three environmental groups lodged the case in March 2022 accusing TotalEnergies of 'misleading commercial practices.' TotalEnergies maintains it has not engaged in misleading commercial practices. For climate change news and analysis, go to News24 Climate Future. French oil and gas giant TotalEnergies goes on trial in Paris on Thursday over allegations of misleading climate claims, an unprecedented "greenwashing" case against a fossil fuel firm in France. The civil case stems from a March 2022 lawsuit by three environmental groups accusing the French energy giant of "misleading commercial practices" for saying it could reach carbon neutrality while continuing oil and gas production. Starting in May 2021, TotalEnergies advertised its goal of "carbon neutrality by 2050" and touted gas as "the fossil fuel with the lowest greenhouse gas emissions". At the time, the company had also changed its name from Total to TotalEnergies to emphasise its investments in low-carbon energy, such as electricity. The plaintiffs have logged around 40 "false advertisements" in their lawsuit. The ads "don't sincerely reflect the reality of TotalEnergies' operations", Apolline Cagnat, a legal counsel at Greenpeace, told AFP. Cagnat said the NGOs want the court to send a "strong signal" to fossil fuel companies by ordering "an immediate stop, under penalty, of the misleading commercial practices". READ | Air pollution linked to 42 000 SA deaths in 2023, report urges renewable energy shift TotalEnergies disputes the charges, insisting the messages are part of its institutional communication, regulated by financial authorities - not consumer law. It argues no consumer organisation is party to the case, and that the NGOs are misusing consumer protection rules to challenge its corporate strategy. Environmental groups in recent years have turned to the courts to establish case law on companies misleading consumers by appearing more eco-friendly than they are. In Europe, courts ruled against Dutch airline KLM in 2024 and Germany's Lufthansa in March over misleading consumers about their efforts to reduce the environmental impact of flying. In Spain, utility Iberdrola failed to secure a conviction against Spanish oil and gas company Repsol over similar allegations of "false" environmental claims. A greenwashing case against Australian oil and gas producer Santos, challenging its claim to be a "clean fuels" company, has been ongoing since 2021. Based on a European Union directive targeting unfair commercial practices, the TotalEnergies lawsuit is the first time a French court has heard such a case against a fossil fuel company. The NGOs said the Paris court will rule, for the first time in the world, on the legality of ads presenting gas as essential to the energy transition. Climate experts say methane leaks from the gas industry have a powerful warming effect on the atmosphere. TotalEnergies maintains it has not engaged in misleading commercial practices. The company says it plans to show that its messages "about its name change, strategy and role in the energy transition are reliable and based on objective, verifiable data".
Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Chinese-made solar panels used on American farms puts US power grid at risk: former NSA official
A former analyst with the National Security Agency said that China is positioning equipment in "strategic places" that could be used to disrupt U.S. commerce after rogue communication devices were found inside Chinese solar power inverters. Rogue communication devices that were not in official product documents were found inside Chinese solar power inverters when they were examined by U.S. experts for possible security issues, two sources told Reuters. The two sources said that the rogue power inverters have undocumented communication channels which could be used to circumvent firewalls remotely, which could have major consequences. These power inverters connect the solar panel to electic grids. Rocky Cole, former intelligence analyst at the National Security Agency and co-founder of iVerify, told Fox News Digital it's "very conceivable" that China is using these rogue power inverters to gain access to American infrastructure. "It very much fits into the model of China implanting hardware in American critical infrastructure for the purpose of planning cyberattacks against the United States in the event of, say, a conflict with Taiwan or something along those lines," Cole said. Chinese companies are mandated by law to assist China's intelligence agencies when needed. Liu Pengyu, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy in Washington, D.C. gave Fox News Digital the following statement: "The goal of China's pursuit of development is to enable its people to live a better life. We oppose the presumption of guilt under unclear facts, the generalization of the concept of national security, and the distortion and smear of China's achievements in the field of energy infrastructure," Pengyu said. According to one of the sources, the undocumented communication devices, which include cellular radios, were found in batteries from multiple suppliers from China over the past nine months. Cole said this is just another example of China preparing for a possible conflict involving the U.S. "There are communications devices in these really strategic places that you can imagine could theoretically be used to disrupt U.S. commerce in the event of some sort of conflict," Cole said. "It's difficult not to view Chinese-made hardware in the realm of critical infrastructure as a national security threat in my mind." "Any time that you have any time that there's a supply chain outside the U.S. or U.S.-allied countries, that presents opportunities for what's called in intelligence parlance, supply chain operation, which means intelligence operatives work with the manufacturers to implant backdoors in the hardware," he added. "Without strict oversight of supply chains, it becomes very difficult to certify with any confidence that your hardware doesn't contain these backdoors implanted in supply chain operations. I think it's critically important that American officials are aware of the risks posed by Chinese-made hardware as it relates to critical infrastructure."
