I Resurgence no. 247 (march/april) er temaet “Long Live Biodiversity“. Her er det mange fine artikler. En av dem har tittelen “Biofuel: Smokestacks & smokescreens” av Henk Hobbelink. Her står det blant annet:
“The stampede towards agrofuel production masks the deeper issues that perpetuate climate change. Look a little deeper and it becomes clear that agrofuel is simply about creating another export commodity under the control of multinational corporations, to be producesd by the South for the North. Rather than reducing greenhouse-gas emissions, agrofuels will increase them. It is time to acknowledge that the climate change crisis should be tackled at its root by reducing energy consumption.”
Klarere kan det neppe sies…
Forfatteren fortsetter:
“To understand what is really going on, it is important to emphasise that the ‘agrofuels agenda’ is not being drafted by policymakers concerned to avert global warming and enviromental destruction. Those in control are some of the most powerful corporations in the world: in the oil and car industries, and among the world’s food traders, biotechnology companies, and global investment firms.”
Produksjonen av bioetanol fører til mye vi ikke trenger (avskoging, høyere priser på mat osv), og tar blikket vekk fra hva dette egentlig handler om: reduksjon av energiforbruket. Han skriver:
“There is simply no escape: we have to reduce energy consumption if we are to survive on this planet. There is no point in asking the car companies to make their cars a bit more energy-efficient if the number of cars is going to double. There is no point in asking people to turn off their lights if the entire conomic system continues to move goods around the globe from countries where the corporations producing them can obtain the highest profit margins.”
Forfatteren jobber i GRAIN, og en lengre utgave av artikkelen med referanser finner du her. Der kan du også laste den ned som .pdf og på fransk og engelsk…
