8,800 dead pigs to fly from Paris to New York

8,800 dead pigs to fly from Paris to New York

The study 'The fat of the land', a study promoted by Transport & Environment (T&E), reveals that 8,800 dead pigs are needed to feed a flight from Paris to New York. A fact that, they say, calls into question the viability of biofuels based on residues such as animal fats.

The use of biodiesel from animal fats to power our cars and planes has doubled in the last decade and it is 40 times higher than in 2006. The signatories of this T&E work in which ECODES and Ecologistas en Acción participate, claim more transparency so that consumers know what goes into their tanks and fuels their flights.

The document points out to the EU, promoter of this by-product of industrial livestock and intensive "to, supposedly, reduce carbon emissions from the fuels used in transport, despite the strong impact of this model of industrial farming on emissions. Now they are targeting planes and, to a lesser extent, ships," is collected in the text.

Planes flying with frying oil

"PIGS FLY"

T&E warns in its study that there are not enough fats to cope with all the demand. Almost half of European animal fats are already used for the production of biodiesel, despite the fact that they are widely used in the animal feed, soaps and cosmetics.

"Biofuel burning from animal fats will triple by 2030, posing two bottlenecks in terms of availability and sustainability," the T&E report notes.

charles ricoresponsible for biofuels in the Spanish office of T&E, affirms that "it turns out that pigs fly. We've been burning animal fats in cars for years without drivers knowing. Now they will be the fuel for your next flight."

In search of a more sustainable aviation

8,800 DEAD PIGS

airlines like Ryanair y Wizz Air have closed agreements with oil suppliers for the manufacture of so-called "sustainable aviation fuels" (SAF, for its acronym in English), say the authors of the study.

Information on the exact raw materials used in SAFs is often imprecise and not transparent. But the forecasts of the Stratas Advisors consultants indicate that the animal fats will be, along with used cooking oilthe raw material from waste most used in SAF.

"Like all biofuels made from waste, the availability of animal fats is limited. It is neither possible nor desirable to increase industrial meat production. A flight from Paris to New York needs 8,800 dead pigs", according to T&E calculations.

The use of biofuels in airplanes reduces aerosol emissions

MORE PALM OIL

manufacturers of feed for animal feed they have already warned that they will have to resort to "less sustainable options" such as palm oil. While the producers of soaps and cosmetics they will also most likely resort to palm as it is the cheapest option available.

Said production is strongly linked to processes of deforestation of tropical forestsloss of biodiversity, increase in greenhouse gas emissions and violations of human rights.

Madrid starts a campaign to collect used cooking oil

In the most extreme case where virgin palm oil replaces animal fats in the oleochemical industry (soaps, cosmetics), CO2 emissions from animal fat biofuels could be nearly twice as harmful to the climate as conventional diesel.