Bristol City Council Leader in Copenhagen

Bristol City Council Leader Barbara Janke on Copenhagen and Palm Oil


Monday, December 14th 2009 00:00

The leader of Bristol City Council is heading out to a mini climate summit in Copenhagen today - but it's reported she's flying.



Liberal Democrat Barbara Janke has been invited because Bristol was one of eight finalists for the Green Capital of Europe Award earlier this year.



Over the next three days she'll be talking with leaders of those other cities how they can work together to reduce carbon emissions.



Janke recently stood up against a palm oil biofuel power station in Avonmouth. While it could power 15% of Bristol's homes, the councillor pointed out that questions still need to be asked about how sustainable palm oil is.



Palm oil plantations are responsible for massive illegal rainforest deforestation in Malaysia and Indonesia, leading to the loss of many habitats, including those of the endangered Orangutan.



Sustainable palm oil is just a few pence cheaper and there's enough of it to fulfil global demands, but unsustainable sources are still favoured by biofuel producers and supermarkets, who put it into 10% of all grocery products.



Dozens of people from Bristol are joining mass demonstrations in Copenhagen, including a team from Oxfam in the city and the Stop Hinkley group from North Somerset, who want to see renewable engery sources like wind and wave power favoured over new nuclear power plants.