agrofuels
Agrofuels â bad medicine for oil addiction
For decades, biofuels were promoted only by the greens. Today, corporations, international financiers and politicians alike are touting agrofuels as the solution to climate change. As governments are planning to convert tens of millions of hectares to agrofuel monocultures, small farmers and indigenous people already struggle for their lives and communities. Read more...
"Agrofuel policy EU harms world wide food supply"
[article only available in Dutch] Wetenschappers: "Het (Europese) 'biobrandstoffenbeleid' gaat ten koste van de voedselvoorziening in de wereld. Door de productie van tarwe, maïs, palmolie en suikerbiet als grondstof voor biobrandstof, raakt de fosfaatvoorraad sneller op en is er minder kunstmest beschikbaar voor de (industriële) voedselproductie. Energieopwekking uit zonlicht, windkracht en biogas is een beter alternatief".
Read more..."Biodiesel from soy and oil palms is colonial!"
On October 12 2007 in several countries in America the 'discovery' of the New World by Cristoffel Colombus in1492, is celebrated. For indigenous people this date is a historical turning-point and the start of repression and colonialism. 515 years later the indigenous communities are still being exploited, discriminated and oppressed. Multinational corporations dispel them from their land and plunder their natural resources.In Amsterdam the '12 Oktober Comité' showed solidarity and did an action to get attention for the social problems caused by the use massive of soy and palmoil for the production of agrofuel and electricity.
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Brazilans oppose Bush Lula Ethanol deal
Protest in jammed Brussels against Agrofuel corporate proposals
January 31 2008, Brussels - Today, campaigners staged an anti-agrofuel protest in front of the Diamant conference centre in Brussels. Here, the 'European Biofuels Technology Platform' (EBFTP) presented their advise for the EU's research budget and policy on agrofuels to 'stakeholders'. The EBFTP absurdly promotes a target of 25% blending of agrofuels for all transport needs by 2030, in a time where the currently proposed 10% is already highly contested. (with online video report) Read more...
Blockade at World Biofuels Market in Brussels
In the morning of March 13 2008 the activist group 'Agrofools' blocked the entrance of the World Biofuels Market in Brussels. Visitors to the World Biofuels Market were met by activists, a group of international drummers, banners, and flyers entitled "Agrofuels – No Solution for Oil Addiction". The human blockade is a protest against the blatant promotion of agrofuels by the World Biofuels Market and the corporations taking part in it. "Massive expansion, reaching into many millions of hectares, of monoculture plantations will cause further damage to biodiversity, human rights and livelihoods", says activist Remy de Boer. "Agrofuels will exacerbate climate change and will certainly not help to combat it. It is immoral to keep promoting the use of agrofuels like the World Biofuels Market does", he added.
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April 17: Activists block Cargill in Belgium
Thursday April 17th, the international day of farmers struggles, the group Agrocrisis blocked a Cargill company firm in the harbour of Ghent, Belgium. Some 30 activists began the action at around 6h30 in the morning and lasted until after 5 p.m. During all that time, not one truck with soy could enter or leave the firm. Some activists had locked themselves with pipes and bicycle chains at the gate, so it was impossible to open the entrance without brute force. The staff of the firm, scared of bad publicity, chose therefore to let the activists occupy the gate and didn't ask the police to intervene. Read more...
Action reports and other updates from the UN Biodiversity Summit in Bonn
From the 12 until the 30th of May the UN summit on Biodiversity (CBD) took place in the German town Bonn. But as expected the current problems with the food and climate crisis have not been solved by this meeting. Not even some serious steps in the right direction. But what can you expect with countries like Canada and Australia that mainly defend the interests of their large scale agriculture. Also delegations from European countries are thinking more about their multinationals and own decadent consumption pattern than about nature and a healthy and social food production. Read more...
Agrofools hit the road during Social Forum in Malmö
Protesters at petrol stations state "Agrofuels are no solution for the climate and energy problem!"Malmö, Saturday 20 September 2008 - During the European Social Forum (ESF) about 50 people protested against the introduction of the large scale production of agrofuels. The devastating social and environmental consequences of the production of energy crops was a big issue in the presentations and discussions inside the ESF. The Agrofools decided that it was important to reach the people in the streets as well, and to explain that we have to choose between food and fuel. Read more...
Brochure: ¨Agrofuel, no cure for oil addiction and climate change¨
This is the long title of a new brochure produced by A SEED. Besides explaining the many aspect of agrofuel related problems it, the brochure is mentioning ways to go to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses and to live with a radical lower energy use.You can read the brochure on-line print the higher resolution pdf-file version. Or try to obtain a paper version.
Small version (72dpi, 8.8 MB, to read on a screen)
Large version (150dpi, 31.8 MB, to print)
Besides in English version there is also a version in German: "Agrotreibstoffe, kein Mittel gegen Ölabhängigkeit und Klimawandel. - Für eine gerechte Verteilung von Land un Energie sowie ein nachhaltiges Konsumverhalten" Read more...