Carbon dioxide is absorbed by Jatropha from the atmosphere as the plant grows on the plantations and the carbon dioxide is released later when Jatropha oil is burned. Thus, Jatropha oil is a carbon-neutral fuel that does not contribute to the accumulation of atmospheric carbon dioxide.

Jatropha is a succulent plant. This means Jatropha is a fat plant. Succulents are water-retaining plants, adapted to arid climates or soil conditions. That is why it is best adapted to arid and semiarid conditions.

The current breeding grounds of Jatropha show that plantings have been most successful in drier regions of the tropics with an average annual rainfall of between 600 and 2400 mm. Good examples are the Philippines, Mali, Ghana, Indonesia, South China, Cambodia, and Laos. It has been reported that Jatropha has even withstood years without rainfall in Cape Verde. However, the less rain water the plant receives, the lower the oil yield (although the opposite is true as well). Unfortunately, during monsoon periods Jatropha receives sometimes too much water, which reduces the yields as well. This happens frequently in India. I have seen Jatropha plantations on flat land along rivers as well as in very mountainous areas in China in Yunnan and Sichuan, where Jatropha was in fact planted to combat erosion.

Jatropha withstands slight frost, but not longer than 2-3 days. It is not sensitive to day length.

It grows on well-drained soils with good aeration and is well adapted to marginal soils with low nutrient content. In heavy soils, the root formation is reduced. Roots penetrate even in soils affected by erosion and can even refertilize the soil. Jatropha is a highly adaptable species, but its strength as a crop comes from its ability to grow on poor, dry sites. One hectare of a Jatropha plantation can absorb 40 tonnes of carbon dioxide and can qualify for carbon credits under the Kyoto Protocol, under the condition that the qualifying process starts with the seeding of the plantation — not later.