Coconut Oil Fueling Pacific Islands
by John Laumer, Philadelphia 
on 05.12.07
The coconut palm is not really a tree. But it looks like one. And island governments, and construction companies like Pacific International, Inc. are reported to be switching diesel powered equipment over to primarily coconut oil. Varying blends with petro-diesel, and kerosene are reported, averaging about 64% plant oil. Throughout the Pacific islands,there are great opportunities to use coconut oil as a fuel, where "according to Jan Cloin of the South Pacific Applied Geoscience Commission. “Coconut oil can be blended with diesel fuel, and under certain conditions totally replace it. Coconut oil in Pacific islands countries is increasingly used in both transport and electricity generation through its lower local cost. Other benefits include the support to local agro-industries and a decrease in emissions.”" See the full story over at PeopleAndPlanet.net for details. Image credit:People and Planet.
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Hasn't there been a huge amount of criticizing of the palm oil industry on this site?
== author's response follows ===
Yes. But, no plantations are involved in the linked articles. The oil is being extracted the nut only, and for the most part as a byproduct of existing coconut processing, from wild picked nuts.
For commercial fuel and industrial palm oil production, the oil is harvested on Asian continents from the entire stem plus the fruit, after clearing rain forest for planting mono-cultural oil palm plantations.
There is a delicious irony here, with low lying islands the most subject to marine elevation damage, moving first toward sustainable bio-fuel production.
The exhaust must smell like a party.
Back to comment #1. Your reply infers the assumtion that exsting haverst methods will supply increased demand. Considering the history and weak oversite of land use issues in much of the tropics, I would consider coconut oil a proceed with caution source of fuel.
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