# Biodiesel (FAME): Impact on the biosphere

When palm and soy expansion costs forests

Source page: https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/biosphere/

What this tab covers Effects on human, animal, plant, fungal and microbial life and on whole ecosystems: in the short term (construction and early years), medium term (operating life) and long term (decommissioning and legacy).

Biodiesel's environmental record depends on the oil: waste oils have small impacts, while palm and soybean expansion has driven tropical land conversion, which ICAO and the EU count as a large added emission.
 Indirect land-use change, palm oil (ICAO) 36.6 g CO2eq/MJ^[11](https://www.icao.int/sites/default/files/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Documents/CORSIA%20Eligible%20Fuels/ICAO-document-06-Default-Life-Cycle-Emissions-June-2025.pdf) EU default saving, palm biodiesel with open effluent ponds 20%^[4](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/2001/oj) EU default saving, waste cooking oil biodiesel 84%^[4](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/2001/oj)

#### Effects over time

| Life affected | Short term | Medium term | Long term |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Humans**^[10](https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/IRENA_SOC_RE_and_jobs_2026.pdf) | Harvest work on oil plantations is often physically demanding and informal, with heat and pesticide exposure. | Mechanisation is reducing manual palm fruit collection, though its pace varies widely. | Little evidence of lasting effect beyond the farming phase. |
| **Animals**^[11](https://www.icao.int/sites/default/files/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Documents/CORSIA%20Eligible%20Fuels/ICAO-document-06-Default-Life-Cycle-Emissions-June-2025.pdf) | Habitat loss where forest is cleared for oil palm or soy; not quantified in the sources reviewed. | Little quantified evidence in the sources reviewed. | Little quantified evidence in the sources reviewed. |
| **Plants**^[11](https://www.icao.int/sites/default/files/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Documents/CORSIA%20Eligible%20Fuels/ICAO-document-06-Default-Life-Cycle-Emissions-June-2025.pdf) | Natural vegetation may be cleared for new plantations. | ICAO estimates indirect land-use change at 36.6 g CO2eq/MJ for palm oil, 20.7-22.5 for soybean and 22.8-23.9 for rapeseed (values for jet fuel made from these oils). | Camelina, an oilseed grown in rotation, scores negative land-use change (-11.5 g CO2eq/MJ). |
| **Fungi and soil life**^[11](https://www.icao.int/sites/default/files/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Documents/CORSIA%20Eligible%20Fuels/ICAO-document-06-Default-Life-Cycle-Emissions-June-2025.pdf) | Little evidence of effect in the sources reviewed. | Little evidence of effect in the sources reviewed. | Little evidence of effect in the sources reviewed. |
| **Ecosystems**^[4](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/2001/oj) | Palm oil mill effluent left in open ponds releases methane; the EU default saving for such palm biodiesel is only 20%, against 45% where methane is captured. | Waste cooking oil biodiesel saves 84-88%, using material that would otherwise be discarded. | Net benefit depends on whether high-carbon land such as peat forest is converted. |

#### How the effects are reduced

Capturing methane from palm oil mill effluent more than doubles the default saving (20% to 45%). Using wastes and residues, or oil crops such as camelina grown in rotation, avoids or reverses land-use change emissions. Certification under the EU directive and ICAO's scheme sets sustainability criteria for feedstock origin. Algae would avoid cropland altogether but must first become a net energy producer.

#### Sources

1. [Directive (EU) 2018/2001 (Renewable Energy Directive II), Annex V: typical and default greenhouse gas savings for biofuels (Parts A and B); fossil comparator 94 g CO2eq/MJ. Default values not changed by amending Directive (EU) 2023/2413 (RED III); a Commission revision was in draft in 2026](https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2018/2001/oj) European Union (EUR-Lex), 2018
2. [Renewable Energy and Jobs: Annual Review 2025 (Table 1, 2024 employment)](https://www.ilo.org/sites/default/files/2026-01/IRENA_SOC_RE_and_jobs_2026.pdf) IRENA and International Labour Organization, 2025
3. [CORSIA Default Life Cycle Emissions Values for CORSIA Eligible Fuels (ICAO document 06)](https://www.icao.int/sites/default/files/environmental-protection/CORSIA/Documents/CORSIA%20Eligible%20Fuels/ICAO-document-06-Default-Life-Cycle-Emissions-June-2025.pdf) International Civil Aviation Organization, 2025

## Other sections

- [Summary](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/index.md)
- [Energy overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/energy/index.md)
- [Correlation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/correlation/index.md)
- [Efficiency](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/efficiency/index.md)
- [Techniques](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/techniques/index.md)
- [Resources and labour](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/resources/index.md)
- [Overview](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/overview/index.md)
- [Production route](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/routes/index.md)
- [Production](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/production/index.md)
- [Feedstocks](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/feedstocks/index.md)
- [Cycles](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/cycles/index.md)
- [Trading](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/trading/index.md)
- [Movement](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/movement/index.md)
- [Regulation](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/regulation/index.md)
- [Characteristics](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/characteristics/index.md)
- [Emissions](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/emissions/index.md)
- [Relationships](https://www.materialinsights.org/energy/biodiesel/links/index.md)