Blue-blood says biofuel is green

Friday, 29 February 2008 20:34

Written by Jason Walsh

Ron Oxburgh, perhaps better known as Lord Ernest Ronald Oxburgh, Baron Oxburgh, KBE, FRS, PhD - or perhaps not - says that environmentalist George Monbiot's campaign against biofuel has "gone too far."

Writing in the Guardian Oxburgh, a former non-executive director of Royal Dutch Shell

, argued that biofuels can be made from agricultural waste rather than from plants specially cultivated for the purpose.

Monbiot has argued that the widespread cultivation of plants for biofuel could cause starvation.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, "Lord" Oxburgh also appears to be in favour of manual labour for the plebs: "Cultivation and fruit picking by hand is labour-intensive and needs around one person per hectare. In parts of rural India and Africa this provides much-needed jobs – about 200,000 people worldwide now find employment through jatropha."

Last modified on Saturday, 01 March 2008 17:00

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Jason Walsh

Jason Walsh is Ireland correspondent of the Boston-based Christian Science Monitor newspaper and has contributed to other publications including the Irish Examiner, the Irish Times, the Guardian, the Independent, the Sunday Times, the Washington Times, El Mundo, PressEurop and USA Today.