US/Brazil Biofuel Plans May Destroy Livelihoods, Promote Food Shortages

[nofoil]

Source: Earth Times

US/Brazil Biofuel Plans May Destroy Livelihoods, Promote Food Shortages, Says International Charity

WASHINGTON and RIO DE JANEIRO, March 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- US/Brazil biofuel plans may have severe repercussions on millions of rural poor, the international anti-poverty agency, ActionAid, warned today.

This Saturday, Presidents George Bush and Lula Da Silva will meet in Camp David to continue discussions on increasing ethanol production and trade. Under proposed plans, the fuel would be derived primarily from Brazilian sugarcane sources.

Ethanol represents a viable alternative energy solution. However, ActionAid urges governments to take into account that the production of such biofuels has thus far resulted in the concentration of land, resources and income into the hands of the few, the destruction of endangered rainforests, contamination of soil, air and water, and the expulsion of rural populations from their homes.

"We are talking about unfair trade-offs. Increasing ethanol production through land grabs, reducing the amount of farmland for food crops, and harming the environment will only serve to increase misery," said Celso Marcatto, Food Rights Coordinator at ActionAid Brazil.




Read more: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,82913.shtml

---

Just in. The Bushies can't even get alternative fuel right!

[robinlynne]

1. There is NO way the Brazilian govt is going to allow land grabs.

I never heard of actionaid Brazil. But I am from Brazil, and the current president is a lefty. He is much more of a land "distributor' to the poor than anything else. He started amazing rural library and food programs. he is actively aginst poverty. No clue who this Brazilaid might be, but I surly woudln't take their word for it. Or any other american group in brazil. The "save the amazon' ngos are full of it. That I can say firsthand.

[nofoil]

3. ActionAid is pretty big in Brazil

ActionAid International is a very strong charity that was founded in the UK. It has been around for over 30 years. It's in over 47 countries, and I'm a big supporter. They do much at the UN level. Here's the website in Brazil

http://www.actionaid.org.br/eng/home.htm

[tanyev]

2. But most importantly, brother Jeb is poised to profit from the deals.

What's with Biofuel Bush? The (dirty) secret of the new ethanol craze is that it is, once again, a Bush family business. Brother Jeb is one of the three chairmen of the Miami-based Inter-American Ethanol Commission (set up in December) along with a former agriculture minister in the previous Lula administration, agribusiness tycoon Roberto Rodrigues, and Colombian Luis Alberto Moreno, president of the Inter-American Development Bank.

http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Global_Economy/IC14Dj03.html

[donkeyotay]

11. bush doesn't care what you put in your car so long as his cartel can control it

That's the beauty of electric cars and solar panels.

"Brother Jeb is one of the three chairmen of the Miami-based Inter-American Ethanol Commission..."

[melm00se]

4. this falls under the

"DUH, no shit" heading.

Energy production is willing to pay more for (in this case) corn than staple food producers, then that is where the commodity is going to flow. If you take X% of the corn production and redirect it to another use, that means that there is X% less available for food production. While corn is renewable, it is, for that season, a finite commodity.

[Acadia Blue]

5. I hope Brazil protects is working class and peasants.

[Acadia Blue]

6. Florida and Louisiana product lots of sugar cane, but Bush does

not want to help American farmers. No, he wants his corporate handlers to outsource everything.

[Hobarticus]

7. Isn't sugar the most heavily subsidized crop in the US?

Krikey, why not invent an engine that runs on tobacco while we're at it?

[xxqqqzme]

8. It should be SOP by now, whenever * actively

promotes some program, initiative or policy, the first question should be which family member benefits and/or whose pocket does it line. NO b*shie does anything w/o first taking that consideration.

[Karenina]

9. Why is NO ONE discussing

HEMP?

[Javaman]

10. You know this is all bullshit right?

moron* goes down to brazil to "secure" an ethanol contract, uh huh.

but a few days prior to moron setting foot on brazilian soil Japan comes in and makes a deal with brazil for 90% of their ethanol exports. hmmmmmmm...

So I remit, you know this is all bullshit right?

check out the linkie poo...

http://mapsearch.com/news/news_display.cfm?Section=NEWS&ArticleID=286332

[Igel]

12. I was wondering why "Castro" was railing against the

ethanol program today. ("Castro" is in quotes because I'm unconvinced he wrote today's Granma article that bears his name.)

His comrade's in DC. Oddly, though, "Castro" only rails against the US, while the earthtimes thing rails against Brazil (thus demonstrating that politics is local).

I wonder if "Castro" is parroting or leading in this.

[Mika]

13. Yeah. Castro's dead. The pics and vids of him recovering are faked.

:rofl:

[Igel]

19. Right.

Of course, every politician only writes his own speeches and articles. And legislation. And press releases.

Every writer produces every word published under his/her name, to be sure.

No such thing as ghost writers or aides that write for their bosses. Complete fiction that such beings could possibly exist. Silly me.

I assume that you *did* realize that was a possible meaning--in this case, the one I had in mind--right? Or do you routinely assume that people are wrong and stupid unless you've personally ascertained otherwise, sort of a minor deity in charge of meaning and intent?

:spank:

And since your post was far too silly, obviously just one spanking isn't enough.

:spank:
:spank:
:spank:

[Mika]

20. Mr Castro isn't your ordinary politician. He does write his own speeches and op/eds.

My post was a belated response to the many DUers (not at you) who were SURE (and were insistent in thread after thread) that Castro was dead around the time of the announcement of the temporary transition of the H.O.S. position to Raul Castro.

Sorry for the lack of a note relating this. Spanking duly noted.


:hi:

[Sirveri]

14. What's really funny is that ethanol is a net loss.

Takes more oil to make a barrel of that garbage than it's worth. Just use the oil and you'll go farther on it!

[Chemical Bill]

16. Back that up.

please link your source. I hope it isn't that oil funded Patzek or his crony Pimental. Their lies are easy to expose.

Bill

[joshcryer]

17. No it doesn't.

See how easy it is to make claims?

Key is I'm more than willing to back up mine. :)

[Pavulon]

15. Money into the midwest or to oil pimps

I vote for the farmer.

[joshcryer]

18. Some facts to debunk this article.

1) The majority of rainforest destruction (60-70%) is directly related to the Brazilian beef industry. They cut down trees for grazing land. You can thank Europe for that. They're too good to eat hormone cornmeal fed fatty beef the USA eats.

2) Less than 1% of rainforest destruction is because of biofuel crops.

3) As far as I know the Brazilian leadership is liberal, thus they won't *necessarily* allow the status quo to own all the land (in fact the second biggest contributor to Amazon rainforest destruction is subsidized farming (30-40%) that locals do).

4) "One crop" isn't the only thing that all biofuel projects are looking in to. Sugar cane grows very well in Brazil, thus that is why it was chosen. But one crop needn't be the only factor, and eventually we can see that these systems will equalize and find their equlibrium with nature.

5) Algae/HEMP.