UN official says biofuels are a "crime against humanity"

[+Green Blog]

Jean Ziegler, UN's special rapporteur on the right to food, yesterday called for the suspension of biofuels production saying biofuels are a “crime against humanity.”

“Biofuels, with today's current production methods, are a crime against a great part of humanity. They're an intolerable crime, and I requested the United Nations General Assembly in New York in my last report to the Human Rights Council that a moratorium be imposed as a five-year ban against this transformation.”

The comment was made during an emergency summit in Switzerland where the UN discusses ways to tackle the global food crisis.

Ziegler said later in an interview with Al Jazeera that “burning food today so as to serve the mobility of the rich countries is a crime against humanity”.

According to Jean Ziegler biofuels is a major cause for the food crisis that has thrown millions into poverty. And he is not alone in arguing this.

The European Environment Agency’s (EEA) Scientific Committee recently called for the suspension of EU’s target to increase the share of biofuels used in transport to 10% by 2020. The committee wants a new and “comprehensive scientific study on the environmental risks and benefits of biofuels” before any targets should be set.

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[mountainhiker]

Must be hard to be a true left winger these days. NONE of this grap came out until someone started making money from biofuels, wonder why???? :thoughtful:

[Simon]

It just makes perfect sense that you should not use food to fuel your car!

[mountainhiker]

It just makes prefect sense that you should not use food to fuel your car!

Simon, You and I are in agreement on that issue! :D

[Steve_Barker]

I tend to think that bio-fuels are a bit of a diversion, if we were to run our cars / vans etc. on bio-fuels without changing consumption patterns we would need hundreds of years of crop production just to fuel a year of transportation!

At work we produce about 200l of waste cooking oil a month, and I did consider buying and converting a Ligier Ambra ( http://www.rumcars.org/c-ligier.html ) to veg oil to use this, but never got arround to it.

[Simon]

Even if we were to find a super fuel so we could all drive in our cars without harming the environment or burning up food we would still have problems with private motorism. The cars you buy and drive costs natural resources to build.

Everyone can't have a car, especially not big gas-guzzling cars like Swedes and Americans use. Private motorism must be a thing of the past.

[beekeeper]

It just makes perfect sense that you should not use food to fuel your car!

There is enough food for another 2 Billion people at this moment. So I see no problem in making fuel with some plants

Plants are our fuel also :D

[Steve_Barker]

There is enough food for another 2 Billion people at this moment. So I see no problem in making fuel with some plants

Plants are our fuel also

My pet fish has a greater economic muscel than many third world people. If running cars on bio-fuels becomes the norm, without any adjustment of consumption patterns / growth rates. Then cars will have more economic muscel than many poorer people as real food for real people is replaced with cash crops to feed cars.

[kclive18]

Biofuels are part of what is driving up food prices and is causing world hunger to become a bigger problem. So the UN is completely right in saying that biofuels are actually a harm to our society rather than an aid.

[mountainhiker]

Biofuels are part of what is driving up food prices and is causing world hunger to become a bigger problem. So the UN is completely right in saying that biofuels are actually a harm to our society rather than an aid.

Have to agree and so do many which is why there is a large movement to find alternative plants that will function even better as a fuel source. Several have already been found....

[natureguy]

Jean Ziegler, UN's special rapporteur on the right to food, yesterday called for the suspension of biofuels production saying biofuels are a “crime against humanity.â€

Whoa.... Thats a huge allegation! But then this is how media has constantly presented twisted things to us.... See below to know what the fellow actually said and then again read what is posted by the author...

“Biofuels, with

today's current production methods,

are a crime against a great part of humanity.