-----Original Message-----
From: Ben Wikler - Avaaz.org [mailto:avaaz@avaaz.org]=20
Sent: Wednesday, March 12, 2008 1:12 PM
To: edkrawetz@sasktel.net
Subject: Biofuels: the fake climate change solution
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Dear friends,
EU and US demand for biofuels is pushing up world food prices and =
increasing climate emissions. We should feed people, not cars--so join =
the call for global standards to clean up the biofuels industry:
HYPERLINK =
"http://www.avaaz.org/en/biofuel_standards_now/9.php?cl=3D60322450"Click =
here now
Each day, 820 million people in the developing world do not have enough =
food to eat1. Food prices around the world are shooting up, sparking =
food riots from Mexico2 to Morocco3. And the World Food Program warned =
last week that rapidly rising costs are endangering emergency food =
supplies for the world's worst-off4.
How are the wealthiest countries responding? They're burning food.
Specifically, they're using more and more biofuels--alcohol made from =
plant products, used in place of petrol to fuel cars. Biofuels are =
billed as a way to slow down climate change. But in reality, because so =
much land is being cleared to grow them, most biofuels today are causing =
more global warming emissions than they prevent5, even as they push the =
price of corn, wheat, and other foods out of reach for millions of =
people6.
Not all biofuels are bad--but without tough global standards, the =
biofuels boom will further undermine food security and worsen global =
warming. Click here to use our simple tool to send a message to your =
head of state before this weekend's global summit on climate change in =
Chiba, Japan, and help build a global call for biofuels regulation:
Sometimes the trade-off is stark: filling the tank of an SUV with =
ethanol requires enough corn to feed a person for a year7. But not all =
biofuels are bad; making ethanol from Brazilian sugar cane is vastly =
more efficient than US-grown corn, for example, and green technology for =
making fuel from waste is improving rapidly.
The problem is that the EU and the US have set targets for increasing =
the use of biofuels without sorting the good from the bad. As a result, =
rainforests are being cleared in Indonesia to grow palm oil for European =
biodiesel refineries, and global grain reserves are running dangerously =
low. Meanwhile, rich-country politicians can look "green" without asking =
their citizens to conserve energy, and agribusiness giants are cashing =
in. And if nothing changes, the situation will only get worse.
What's needed are strong global standards that encourage better biofuels =
and shut down the trade in bad ones. Such standards are under =
development by a number of coalitions8, but they will only become =
mandatory if there's a big enough public outcry. It's time to move: this =
Friday through Saturday, the twenty countries with the biggest =
economies, responsible for more than 75% of the world's carbon =
emissions9, will meet in Chiba, Japan to begin the G8's climate change =
discussions. Before the summit, let's raise a global cry for change on =
biofuels:
A call for change before this week's summit won't end the food crisis, =
or stop global warming. But it's a critical first step. By confronting =
false solutions and demanding real ones, we can show our leaders that we =
want to do the right thing, not the easy thing.
As Kate, an Avaaz member in Colorado, wrote about biofuels, "Turning =
food into oil when people are already starving? My car isn't more =
important than someone's hungry child."
It's time to put the life of our fellow people, and our planet, above =
the politics and profits that too often drive international =
decision-making. This will be a long fight. But it's one that we join =
eagerly--because the stakes are too high to do anything else.
With hope,
Ben, Ricken, Iain, Galit, Paul, Graziela, Pascal, Esra'a, Milena -- the =
Avaaz.org team
SOURCES:
[1] World Food Programme. "Hunger Facts." Accessed 10 March 2008. =
HYPERLINK =
"http://www.wfp.org/aboutwfp/facts/hunger_facts.asp"http://www.wfp.org/ab=
outwfp/facts/hunger_facts.asp
[2] The Sunday Herald (Scotland). "2008: The year of global food =
crisis." 9 March 2008. HYPERLINK =
"http://www.sundayherald.com/news/heraldnews/display.var.2104849.0.2008_t=
he_year_of_global_food_crisis.php"http://www.sundayherald.com/news/herald=
news/display.var.2104849.0.2008_the_year_of_global_food_crisis.php
[3] The Australian: "Biofuels threaten 'billions of lives'" 28 February, =
2008. HYPERLINK =
"http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23336840-11949,00.htm=
l"http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,23336840-11949,00.ht=
ml
[4] AFP: "WFP chief warns EU about biofuels." 7 March 2008. HYPERLINK =
"http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hpCFf3spGcDQUuILK5JFV-6NL1Dg"http://=
afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hpCFf3spGcDQUuILK5JFV-6NL1Dg
[5] New York Times: "Biofuels Deemed a Greenhouse Threat." 8 February =
2008. HYPERLINK =
"http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/science/earth/08wbiofuels.html"http://=
www.nytimes.com/2008/02/08/science/earth/08wbiofuels.html
[6] The Times: "Rush for biofuels threatens starvation on a global =
scale." 7 March 2008. HYPERLINK =
"http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3500954.ece"htt=
p://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3500954.ece ... =
also see BBC: "In graphics: World warned on food price spiral." 10 March =
2008. HYPERLINK =
"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/7284196.stm"http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/=
world/7284196.stm
[7] The Economist: "The end of cheap food." 6 December 2007. HYPERLINK =
"http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3D10252015"ht=
tp://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=3D10252015
[8] See HYPERLINK =
"http://www.globalbioenergy.org"http://www.globalbioenergy.org, =
HYPERLINK =
"http://cgse.epfl.ch/page70341.html"http://cgse.epfl.ch/page70341.html, =
and HYPERLINK =
"http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3489640.ece"htt=
p://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article3489640.ece.
[9] Government of Japan. "Percentage of global carbon dioxide emissions =
(FY 2003) contributed by G20 nations." HYPERLINK =
"http://www.env.go.jp/earth/g8/en/g20/index_popup.html"http://www.env.go.=
jp/earth/g8/en/g20/index_popup.html
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