Fueling the Appetite for Water: Climate Change and the Biofuel Industry in Honduras

In an era when it has become apparent that climate change will define the very existence and reality of the twenty-first century, nations around the world are looking to alternative energies to reduce their unsustainable and destructive reliance upon fossils fuels.  Although biofuel is expected to reduce carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions exacerbating global warming, the feasibility of this technology directly depends on adequate and accessible water resources for production and processing alike. With the global need for water exceeding its availability by fifty-six percent before 2025, biofuels will intensify the inherent contradiction that water poses as both a commodity and an essential to life.

Honduras, a developing country aware of its magnified susceptibility to the threats of climate change on its environmental and social welfare, seeks to become a major global producer of palm oil biodiesel.  Already the third largest grower of palm oil in Latin America, the funded expansion of this industry could catapult the nation into unlimited economic development while also contributing to global efforts to reduce fossil fuel exploitation.  However, the water necessity contingent for the augmented agricultural production and biofuel conversion process will drastically alter the nation’s quantity, allocation, and regulation of this precious resource.

This research assesses the immediate and long-term impacts of the emerging palm oil biofuel industry on local water availability and privatized water management near San Pedro Sula, Honduras.  Analyzing the changes in regional water realities, the study examines the manner and extent to which Honduran biofuel may impact the fight against global warming along with fundamental economic, social, and ecological tradeoffs involved in this commerce.