..A must read for for every US voter and concerned citizen.. challenges the reader to explore new possibilities and new mindsets that will ultimately be required if the world is truly ready to make a change.. amazon.com US onlyThe European Union's biofuel policy continues to threaten food security and increase land grabs in Africa, shows a new report to be presented today in Brussels by the EuropAfrica platform and FIAN, `(Bio)fueling injustice: Europe's responsibility to counter climate change without provoking land grabbing and compounding food insecurity in Africa'.
The report is released as the EU is set to review its biofuel policy in 2012 in line with environmental impacts.
"Imported industrial biofuels for European renewable energy exacerbate land grabs in Africa and fuel violations of the right to food", says Nora McKeon coordinator of EuropAfrica. "The EU has to realise that its energy and agricultural policies have global impacts, often affecting the most vulnerable in poor countries. Decision makers cannot ignore the evidence; it's time for a total re-think of biofuel policy"
The view from Africa
The report shows that 66% of the land grabs in Africa are intended for biofuel production, some 18.8 million hectares. Among the biggest investors are companies from Europe, as case studies from Senegal and Mali show, with European investments likely to increase further.
"We want to grow food for people in Africa, not for fuelling cars in Europe. The switch to biofuel crops in Senegal has been a failure. Productivity has fallen sharply since we started trying the Jatropha biofuel crop, and many farmers are feeling cheated. We call on the European Union to drop its renewable energy target for biofuels until measures are in place which ensure that the right to food is not violated" said Marius Dia, of CNCR - Conseil National de Concertation et de Coopération des ruraux du Sénégal.
EU driving global biofuel production
Despite contrary claims, the EU is highly dependent on imports. Already in 2008, the EU imported almost 40 percent of its biofuels or biofuel feedstock.
"The European Union's biofuel policy explicitly encourages increased production worldwide, imposing an export-oriented industrial farming model on food insecure countries," Roman Herre from FIAN explains. "The policy does not provide any protection from land grabs in countries affected by hunger, which should be discouraged from producing biofuels destined for the European Union"
Violations of international human rights law
The study further finds that the EU and its Member States violate their human rights obligations by not having conducted an adequate assessment of the impact of the biofuel policy on human rights and by not regulating European companies and financial actors.
"The EU's good intention to fight climate change by promoting renewable energy is turning into a disaster. Europe is outsourcing its production, getting a ready supply of biofuels at the expense of the environment and people in the developing world. Biofuels are a perfect example of how EU policies aren't coherent with development objectives and the legal provision of policy coherence for development," says Blandine Bouniol, Policy Coordinator at CONCORD, the European NGO Confederation of Relief and Development NGOs.
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Notes to Editors
The report to be presented at the launch event today is co-sponsored by the EuropAfrica platform, composed of European NGOs and the regional farmers' platforms of West, Central and East Africa (ROPPA, PROPAC and EAFF), and by CONCORD, the European confederation of relief and development NGOs. The Agenda can be found here [ bit.ly/agenda28feb ] . UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Olivier De Schutter, will lead the presentations at the launch event.
What is EuropAfrica?
EuropAfrica – Towards Food Sovereignty, is a campaign that connects African farmers'
platforms of West, Central and East Africa (ROPPA, PROPAC and EAFF) and European NGOs (Terra Nuova, Centro Internazionale Crocevia, Collectif Stratégies Alimentaires/CSA, Vredeseilanden, Practical Action, Glopolis). It supports the attainment of food sovereignty, both in Africa and in Europe, without impeding the food sovereignty of others. www.europafrica.info
What is FIAN?
FIAN is an international human right organisation organization that has advocated for the realization of the human right to food for more than 25 years. www.fian.org
3. What is CONCORD? CONCORD is the European NGO confederation for relief and development. CONCORDs 26 national associations and 18 international networks represent over 1,800 NGOs which are supported by millions of citizens across Europe. CONCORD leads reflection and political actions and regularly engages in dialogue with the European institutions and other civil society organisations.www.concordeurope.org
What is Policy Coherence for Development (PCD)?
Policy Coherence for Development is about ensuring that the aims and objectives of EU development co-operation policy are not undermined by other EU policies.
Article 208 of the Lisbon Treaty: "The Union shall take account of the objectives of development co-operation in the policies that it implements which are likely to affect developing countries"
The report referred to and the launch event are part of the project "Awareness raising on the relations between European policies and agricultural development in Africa", co-funded by the European policies and agricultural development in Africa", co-funded by the European Commission | DCI – NSAED/2010/240-529. The contents of the report and the event are the sole responsibility of the project partners and should under no circumstances be regarded as a reflected position of the European Union.
- (Bio)Fueling Injustice? [1.6MB]
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Biofuels are a wide range of fuels which are in some way derived from biomass.
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