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Written by Daniel
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Wednesday, 31 October 2007 11:18 |
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Biofuels: Salvation or Crimes Against Humanity?
Michael Asher & Jason Mick - October 29, 2007 11:23 AM
DailyTech According to a U.N. expert biofuels represent a crime against mankind.
Jean Ziegler, the United Nations special reporter on the right to food and sociology professor at the University of Geneva and the University of the Sorbonne in Paris, stunned many Friday when he blasted biofuels.
Ziegler, who gave the remarks at a press conference at the U.N. headquarters in New York, posed dire predictions if the development of biofuels was to continue. His remarks follow a Thursday presentation to the U.N. General Assembly's human rights committee on the dangers of biofuels.
He stated that blame for the record high price of some staple grain crops is directly attributable to biofuel initiatives.
This much is factually accurate it appears. Between September 2006 and November 2006 corn prices rose 55 percent. Corn prices are at record highs of over $3 USD per bushel. The Wall Street Journal says this is largely due to the new industrial demand for corn for ethanol conversion. This has caused food producers such as Tyson to struggle.
Ziegler ardently drove home this point at the press conference and stated that biofuels in their current state are not a good alternative to petroleum. He said that he feared biofuels would bring more world hunger. He stated that recklessly converting maize and sugar and other foodstuffs to biofuel was a "recipe for disaster."
In the U.S., the production of corn for ethanol has already overtaken its use for food, and President Bush has recently announced higher targets for the use in biofuels in U.S. vehicles. Wheat prices have more thandoubled in the past year, led by reduced cultivation of the grain. Prices of meat and dairy staples have also risen, driven by higher foodstock prices for farm animals.... Much More Comment in the Forums |
