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Excessive Production of Biofuels May Cost Numerous Lives, Warns Special Rapporteur of UN

Jul 21, 2007

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Starvation, resulting from the diversion of maize and sugar for the production of biofuels, could cost numerous lives across the world, warned the food envoy of United Nations on June 14, 2007.
 
Special rapporteur of the UN on the ‘right-to-food’, Jean Ziegler, accused the EU (European Union), US, and Japan of “complete two-facedness” for encouraging biofuels to reduce their own reliance on the imported oil, as reported by REUTERS on June 15, 2007.
 
Worries concerning the change in climate have spurred alternative fuels’ demand in wealthy nations, however those who believe that biofuel’s rise will diminish the land required for food have strictly condemn it.
 
Sugarcane plantations in Eastern and Northern Brazil are increasingly being used to produce biofuels, thereby reducing the land for farmers’ subsistence. Brazil is the leading producer of ethanol (cane-based), and most of the fuel goes into its domestic market for meeting the rapidly expanding demand for flex-fuel motorists, said Ziegler.
 
In some Mexican regions, maize’s price grew by almost 16% last year, due to the rising demand for use in the production of biofuels, as per the independent envoy of the UN. 
 
Worldwide, about 854 Million people suffer from starvation, which is perhaps the most prominent cause why they severely attempt to emigrate to US and Europe. Increasing use of basic food-crops will cause many more to starve for food, as per the official.
 
According to the RNCOS report on “Brazil Biofuel Market Outlook (2007-2010)”, “Ethanol production in Brazil would grow at a CAGR of almost 8.48% during the period spanning 2007-2010. Conversely, monoculture (i.e. cultivation of sugar cane only) could lead to other food-crops’ scarcity in the country. And if farmers utilize all efforts & resources for sugarcane’s growth, then it could cause the production of other food-crops to reduce.”
 
The report looks in to the details of the biofuels market in Brazil. Key issues and facts analyzed in this report include: energy consumption pattern in Brazilian energy market, opportunities and challenges before the biofuel industry in Brazil, and so on.
 
For more information visit: http://www.rncos.com/Report/IM524.htm


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