Biofools Day of Action

bristol | protests | press release

Tuesday April 08, 2008 20:18

by Bristol Rising Tide

bristol at risingtide dot org dot uk

The Solution that is even worse than the problem it is meant to solve

On 15th April, the mandatory biofuel blending (RTFO) comes in, meaning that 2.5% of fuel sold at the pump must contain agrofuel. The Government is promoting this as yet another false technical fix for climate change, despite it's Chief Scientist's doubts about their sustainability.

We, Bristol Rising Tide, will be at Tesco, Eastville from 16.30 - 1900 on the 15th to highlight the disastrous impact that the promotion of agrofuels (biofuels) will have on food prices worldwide, and on deforestation in South America and Indonesia. We invite groups and individuals who share our concern to join us.

Tesco, who already sell biofuel at the pump have a vested interest in the technology's' promotion as they own a 25% share of Greenenergy, a biofuel company.

A Bristol Rising Tider says "Not only does Biofuel production causes greater global warming emissions than the equivalent for fossil fuels but for every acre of land used for fuel this is an acre less available for food. We demand that Tesco divest from this company and admit that agrofuels are not the solution.

Burning huge quantities of food in cars is a sure way of making people go hungry. Food prices are rising due to biofuels, causing the poor to suffer more malnutrition. This has been called a “crime against humanity” by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, Jean Ziegler

Furthermore, the United Nations has warned that 60 million people may soon become “biofuel refugees” – people forced off their land to make way for huge areas of biofuel crops due to the biofuel boom.

Indigenous organisations of Colombia and Ecuador say "We are rejecting the implementation of the palm oil project on our collective territories. Apart from the way in which this has been imposed on us, with massacres, threats, displacement of communities, bribery of some leaders there are grave environmental, social, economic and cultural impacts."

For further information on the serious problems resulting from the mass production of biofuels visit: www.biofuelwatch.org.uk

See you on the 15th

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Comments (2 of 2)

bio-con

by anarchist606

Wed Apr 09, 2008 10:33

As the west looks to nuclear and bio-fuels as false hopes in the face of global warming, it (as has been warned) has the knock-on effect of starving the poor as resources are diverted;

"And meanwhile, land used to grow biofuel feedstock is land not available to grow food, so subsidies to biofuels are a major factor in the food crisis. You might put it this way: people are starving in Africa so that American politicians can court votes in farm states. Oh, and in case you're wondering: all the remaining presidential contenders are terrible on this issue....What should be done? The most immediate need is more aid to people in distress: the U.N.'s World Food Program put out a desperate appeal for more funds. We also need a pushback against biofuels, which turn out to have been a terrible mistake. But it's not clear how much can be done. Cheap food, like cheap oil, may be a thing of the past."

http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/040708N.shtml

Espacio Bristol-Colombia join Agrofuel protest

by espacio

Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:07

espaciobristol at redcolombia dot org

In response to Bristol Rising Tide's recent press release 'Biofuels: The Solution that is even worse than the problem it is meant to solve', Espacio Bristol –Colombia have decided to join them in protest on the 15th April, the day mandatory biofuel blending (RTFO) comes in to force at all petrol stations.

Agro-fuel (biofuels) crops, especially Oil Palm, already cover ¼ million hectares of land in Colombia. The government there has stated that 7 million hectares will be planted in the short term, 6 million of this for the international agrofuel market.

To make way for these monocultures, many small-scale farming communities have been violently displaced by right-wing paramilitary death squads and the production of food staples has been replaced by production of a crop for fuel.

An Espacio member currently accompanying Colombian communities under threat from the the expansion of palm writes about one village " I have met farmers surviving on one
meal a day since being forced off their land by a palm oil company, people working for palm companies paid poorly and paid late, and many who are angry and saddened that in such a fertile area they are having to import food from elsewhere."

Agrofuels from monocultures are being sold to us as a technofix solution to climate change yet they cause the same impacts as climate chaos: displacement and dispossession of poor communities.

Tesco are already championing Biofuels at over 300 petrol pumps. Behind their publicity of it being a green step for Tesco lies the fact that they have a 25% share in Greenenergy, a biofuel company, and thus look set to profit richly from the expansion of agrofuels while poor people continue to suffer.

Espacio members will be at Tesco, Eastville from 4.30 – 7pm on Tuesaday 15th April in solidarity with Colombian communties who are struggling to keep their lands. We invite other Latin American solidarity groups to join us.

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