Norwegian NGO report says aviation biofuel leading to deforestation

In Norway, Rainforest Foundation Norway’s new report ‘Destination deforestation’ goes into the heated debate about “flight shame” and the role of the aviation sector in contributing to the climate crisis.

The report reviews the status of the targets the aviation industry has set for alternative fuels and shows how high the risk is that expanding biofuel use in aviation will cause the last thing the world wants or needs right now: increased deforestation.

The report estimates that meeting the aspirational targets outlined by ICAO through the cheapest and most readily available technology would lead to an additional demand in 2030 of 35 million tons of palm oil, 3.5 million tons of palm oil by-products (PFAD), and 35 million tons of soy oil. For comparison, the current global annual production of palm oil globally is around 70 million tons.