Agro-fuels are too exploitative, too harmful to impoverished communities & ecosystems!
Many prominent voices in the United States, including President-elect
Obama, have voiced support for the large-scale production of agrofuels
as a central strategy for solving the problems of energy supply and
global warming. A growing body of scientific evidence, however,
indicates that this is a tragic misconception and that continued
pursuit of agrofuels will aggravate severely rather than resolve the
multiple and dire consequences of the climate, energy, food, economic
and ecological crises we face.
Like other dirty and dangerous
technologies and devices being promoted by industry to supposedly
address climate change-including “clean coal,” carbon capture and
storage [CCS], coal gasification, nuclear power, carbon offset
markets, and ocean fertilization-agrofuels are a distracting “false
solution” promoted for their potential to reap profits rather than
their capacity to address problems effectively. A growing body of
literature from all levels of society is revealing that, when all
impacts are considered, agrofuels create more, not less, greenhouse
gas emissions; deplete soil and water resources; drive destruction of
forests and other biodiverse ecosystems; result in expanded use of
genetically engineered crops, toxic pesticides, and herbicides; and
consolidate corporate control over access to land. While claims are
made that agrofuels will benefit the rural poor, in reality,
indigenous and smallholder farmers are increasingly displaced.
Industrial agriculture and the destruction of biodiversity, two
leading causes of global warming, will be further facilitated by
agrofuels. As a diverse alliance of organizations concerned with
climate change, agriculture and food policy, human rights and
indigenous peoples rights and biodiversity protection, we (Global
Justice Ecology Project, Institute for Social Ecology, Heartwood,
Energy Justice Network, Grassroots International, Food First, Native
Forest Council, Family Farm Defenders, ETC Group, Dogwood Alliance,
Rainforest Action Network) issue this open letter in opposition to
agrofuels (large scale industrial biofuels). If you would like to join
us, please add your organizational signature to this letter. We
strongly oppose the rapid and destructive expansion of agrofuels; the
large-scale industrial production of transport fuels and other energy
from plants (corn, sugar cane, oilseeds, trees, grasses, waste etc.).
Agrofuels are a false solution and a dangerous distraction and they
must be halted. http://www.brazzilmag.com/content/view/10515/1/
— Posted to http://forestpolicyresearch.com via gmail to posterous and
also to forestpolicyresearch@yahoogroups.com