Air New Zealand is experimenting with biofuel made from jatropha nuts. Good on them, and I hope the experiments succeed. Biofuels are a long way from perfect, but jatropha, at least, does not need to either take up farmland or replace forest, does not divert anybody’s food supply, and produces jet fuel:
Group strategy manager Abhy Maharaj said jatropha met all the airline’s “non-negotiable” criteria.
It was cheaper than traditional jet fuel, emitted less carbon dioxide and was socially responsible – it was grown on land unsuitable for food crops, which had not been forest land for at least 20 years.
I hope they succeed.
Oh, and I should’ve included this article on the fish ‘n’ chip oil-powered tour bus. More good news, and a reminder that waste oil from fast food is a huge, untapped resource- and another biofuel that neither replaces forest nor diverts food supplies.
