Voices
from North and South against agrofuels
While the promotion of agrofuels -wrongly
called biofuels- continues increasing and resulting in the establishment
of more and more plantations in Southern countries to produce
them, many voices of representatives from North and South denounce
their impacts and intend to influence those
who are taking decisions to promote them.
One of the decisions that is already
causing a considerable increase in the production of agrofuels,
is the one taken by the European Union which established the target
that by the year 2020, 10 % of transport should be using
agrofuels.
It is important to underscore that this
decision was taken in spite of the documentation provided to the
European Union proving that this decision would be affecting the
majority of the world’s population, that lives in Southern countries.
By the end of June this year, more than
15 representatives of non-governmental organisations, Indigenous
Peoples’ organisations and other social movements met with the
European Parliament in Brussels, the Dutch Parliament in The Hague
and with other representatives of European organizations and govermental
representatives and participated at the XII Meeting of the
Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice
of the UN Convention of Biodiversity in Paris. Many were the testimonies
about the direct and indirect impacts of agrofuel production on
the global South.
Among others, representatives from Asia
stated that oil palm plantations are a tremendous disaster for
indigenous peoples and local communities in Indonesia and Papua
New Guinea
Representatives from Latin America,
described how sugar cane, soy and eucalyptus monocultures have
caused massive migration, expulsion of small farmers from their
lands and have increased rural and urban poverty in Brazil; how
in Colombia agrofuel plantations are exacerbating the problems
of sovereignty and land tenure, that are a key cause of conflict
in the country; and how tree plantations -even the ones certified
by FSC- are having negative impacts on people and the environment
in Uruguay.
African representatives pointed out
that water resources, biodiversity, local communities’ security,
health and economies are being affected in those African countries
where monoculture tree plantations are already a reality.
During the same days, organisations
from the North and the South called for a moratorium on European
Union imports of agrofuels from large scale monoculture plantations;
and on their promotion through targets and incentives, including
tax breaks, subsidies, and financing through carbon trading mechanisms,
international development aid, or loans from international financial
institutions such as the World Bank. Such a moratorium will allow
time for the in depth study of the tremendous impacts of large
scale monocultures already felt by their expansion serving other
industries as pulp and paper.
In Paris, at a meeting of a UN scientific
advisory body on biodiversity, the majority of government delegates
expressed serious concerns about the risks of large-scale production
of biofuels to forests, ecosystems, indigenous peoples and local
communities. A large number of NGOs and Indigenous Peoples Organizations
from around the world present at this meeting also expressed their
concerns about the risks and made a call for their evaluation
before continuing with the promotion of agrofuels.
While all this was hapenning in Europe,
representatives from organizations at an International Meeting
on Agrofuels and Food Sovereignty held in Quito from June 27 to
29 presented personally a letter to the Minister of Energy containing
a strong message to his government:
“The present government faces two alternatives:
to support a production model based on diversity, sustainability,
that garantees food sovereignty, the continuity of the way of
life of Indigenous Peoples, afro-descendents and peasants and
the conservation of the biodiversity, or support agri-business.
We hope that the government’s decision will be in favor of the
people”.
That same letter is valid for all governments
–North and South- that are currently taking decisions on the issue
of agrofuels. The decision they take will show if they are in
favour or against the people.
Article based on information
from the Report of the Debate “Biofuels – implications for the
South” Dutch Parliament, The Hague, June 29, 2007, by GFC and
CEO, available here.
Information published by WRM during the SBSTTA meeting in Paris
available at:
http://www.wrm.org.uy/actors/BDC/SBSTTA/news_SBSTTA.html,
and the Quito declaration at: http://www.wrm.org.uy/temas/Biocombustibles/Declaracion_Quito.html
