Karl E Watkin MBE, Chairman of D1 Oils plc (D1), the UK-based global producer of biodiesel, has called on the United Nations (UN) to deliver a cohesive and focused global biofuels strategy. Speaking in New York, he challenged UN agencies to direct more resources towards more efficient global production of biofuels, particularly in developing countries. The benefits of such a strategy would include: addressing global warming, reducing reliance on fossil fuels, increasing energy security and reducing rural poverty by creating jobs in the biofuels industry worldwide.

Giving the key note speech to close to 150 government ministers and global business leaders at an event highlighting the UN Biofuels Initiative on 10 May at UN Headquarters in New York, Watkin urged UN agencies and national governments to do more to realise the potential of biofuels grown in developing countries to meet energy needs worldwide. 

“There are tens of millions of hectares of land in the developing world which currently grow nothing,” said Watkin. “That land could be planted with energy crops that can produce biodiesel and bioethanol for both local transport and for export. The great thing is that with the right crops this can be achieved without removing land from food production.”

Contrasting the current efforts of the UN with what has been achieved by D1 Oils, he said, "In the last two years D1 has created over 10,000 jobs in developing countries by planting over 42,000 hectares of the new biodiesel crop, Jatropha curcas, which does not require arable land. Think how many more jobs would be created if the UN helped countries, particularly in the developing world, to focus their resources to make more non-prime land available for planting and provide financial support to plant energy crops.”

Watkin also called on national governments to do more to encourage the use of biofuels. “Far more can be done,” he said. “A 5% biofuel blend is nowhere near enough. Whilst D1 supports the UN Foundation target of 25% bio fuels by 2025 (‘25/25’), it is still not ambitious enough. The 25/25 initiative is a good start but this is a global emergency and needs to be treated as such.”
 
Tim Wirth, President of the UN Foundation, welcomed Watkin’s challenge to the UN and its agencies: “For most developing countries, the necessity of obtaining oil for the transportation sector directs precious foreign exchange away from critical social needs. Biofuels represent an opportunity to replace imported oil with indigenous energy supplies.”

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