Protest EU biofuel encouraging deforestation Jan 07

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  • #3398
    Martin W
    Participant

      Just in from Ecological Internet:

      There exist serious concerns regarding the production of
      plantation crops on lands cleared of ancient rainforests for
      production of biodiesel in Europe in particular. For example,
      remaining natural orangutan habitat and their rainforest
      ecosystems in Southeast Asia are threatened by the unsustainable
      harvesting of palm oil for the use of biofuels. The campaign to
      stop Europe’s “Deforestation Biofuel” Energy Policy is now at an
      important decision point, as the European Commission is expected
      to finalize the “Biomass Action Plan” policy by January 10th for
      biofuels sourced from plantations cleared from ancient
      rainforests. Earlier the European Parliament voted for rapid
      market expansion before safeguards are put in place. Please tell
      the European Commission now that they must prevent biofuels from
      causing ever greater deforestation, biodiversity losses, and
      evictions and impoverishment of local communities both in
      tropical rainforests and Europe. Unrestrained industrial biofuel
      expansion will accelerate, not slow down, climate change; as
      peatlands, rainforests, forests and croplands across the world
      are converted to energy crop monocultures and release their
      carbon in the process.

      TAKE ACTION NOW at:
      http://www.rainforestportal.org/alerts/send.asp?id=europe_biofuel

      See also Birdlife International page:
      Unsustainable biofuels threaten the environment

      Post edited by: Martin, at: 2007/05/29 02:49

      #4419
      Martin W
      Participant

        For more on the problems with biofuels, see: biofuelwatch

        Quote:
        Biofuelwatch highlight the environmental impacts of the global biofuel market, especially the vast releases of greenhouse gases and considerable biodiversity losses they can cause. We campaign for regulation to ensure only sustainably-sourced biofuels can be sold in the EU.
        #4420
        Martin W
        Participant

          [/quote]PRESS RELEASE
          For immediate release – 13th August 2007
          Joint Press Release by Biofuelwatch, Ecological Internet and
          Rainforest Rescue

          Biofuel expansion threatens Europe’s wildlife as agricultural set-
          asides are to be scrapped

          Millions of farm birds could be left without enough food and
          breeding sites next spring if plans to scrap Europe’s agricultural
          land set-aside targets for next year go ahead, warn environmental
          groups. Plans to set a zero set-aside targets from October this
          year have been announced by the EU Commissioner for Agriculture,
          Mariann Fischer-Boel, as a response to rising food prices. Those
          plans are to be ratified by ministers this autumn. Several studies
          confirm that set-asides have become a vital habitat for many of
          Europe’s endangered birds and insects, and that farm birds have
          declined by nearly 50% on average since 1980. Over 5300 people
          have written to European politicians this month, asking for the
          plans to be dropped and supporting a moratorium on biofuel targets.

          Glen Barry, Director of Ecological Internet explains: “Dramatic
          declines in insect, bird and wild flower populations show that many
          of Europe’s ecosystems are under extreme stress from intensive
          agriculture and climate change. Our future depends on protecting
          healthy ecosystems. We need real cuts in greenhouse gas emissions,
          with massive cuts in energy use as well as truly sustainable
          renewable energy, such as wind and solar power. More intensively
          farmed monocultures cannot be part of the solution.”

          Almuth Ernsting from Biofuelwatch adds “There is no doubt that the
          expansion in biofuels is pushing up food prices. The European
          Union are committed to stopping biodiversity losses by 2010 but
          those plans will almost certainly make this impossible. Our birds
          and insects must not be sacrificed for biofuel expansion. We need
          a moratorium on EU biofuel targets and incentives now – and we need
          to keep our set asides until they can be replaced with better
          environmental safeguards.”

          Few environmental NGOs regard the current set-aside system, as
          being the ideal instrument for protecting farmland biodiversity,
          although it provides a safety net for many species. Many NGOs hope
          that a ‘health check’ of the Common Agricultural Policy in 2008
          will lead to more targeted environmental safeguards. However,
          there are widespread concerns that sudden scrapping of all set-
          aside targets without any replacement or reform will devastate bird
          and insect populations.

          According to Reinhard Behrend from Rainforest Rescue, Germany,
          “biofuel expansion is already causing rainforest destruction and
          the displacement of large numbers of communities in the global
          South. At the same time, poor people are hit hardest by rising
          food prices whilst Europe burns more and more food in cars. The
          only logical solution is to suspend biofuel targets, whilst
          drastically reducing our overall fuel use.”

          Contacts:

          Almuth Ernsting, Biofuelwatch, info[at]biofuelwatch.org.uk, UK –
          Tel 0044-(1)224-324797 or 0044 (1)224-7925 364186

          Glen Barry, Ecological Internet, US,
          GlenBarry[at]EcologicalInternet.org -Tel 001-920 776 1075

          Notes:

          1. For further details of the organisations involved see:
          Biofuelwatch: http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk
          Ecological Internet: http://www.EcoEarth.Info
          Rainforest Rescue: http://www.regenwald.org.

          2. An email action alert against the planned abolition of set-
          aside targets for 2008 and for a moratorium on EU biofuel targets
          has been signed by over 5300 individuals and can be found at
          http://www.climateark.org/alerts/send.asp?id=europe_biofuel_ecosystem
          and
          http://www.regenwald.org/international/englisch/protestaktion.php?id=195 .

          3. A call for a Moratorium on EU biofuel targets and incentives,
          and on large-scale monocultures for bioenergy in Europe has been
          signed by 152 organisations from the global North and South. The
          text and the list of signatories can be found at
          http://www.econexus.info/biofuels.html [/quote]

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