Brazil is lobbying for biofuels to be introduced into the EU market, despite the reluctance of the scientific community and some NGOs.
Background
One of the challenges of the century is the pollution resulting from CO2 gas emissions. Faced with the lack of high-level efforts to reduce these emissions, one alternative is to encourage the progressive replacement of gasoline with biofuels. Advocates for biofuels assert they are more eco-friendly, emit less greenhouse gas and are sustainable. Opponents declare they divert crucial agricultural land from food in the poorest countries, encourage the destruction of indigenous habitats for new sites and are anyway insufficient in their ability to meet even the smallest proportion of energy needed to fuel the global economy.
The Commission, however, supports the promotion of biofuels and announced at the beginning of the year its intention to make oil companies mix biofuel in the energy-package.
Brazil and sugarcane ethanol
Brazil is the world’s largest producer of sugarcane, therefore, it is directly concerned with biofuel issues. Brazil produces sugarcane ethanol and is lobbying to put biofuels on the European Union agenda. It wants the EU to abolish its ethanol tariff barrier and introduce higher targets for biofuels. At the same time, Brazil aims to be part of the World Trade Organisation negotiations to allow ethanol from sugarcane to be an alternative to gasoline.
However, given the difficulty of entering the EU market, Brazil has signed bilateral agreements with Member States such as The Netherlands and Sweden.
The truth about biofuels
Nevertheless, biofuels are not such a sustainable source of energy for it has some indirect effects linked to the tendency to undertake monoculture farming. Moreover, it is labour intensive, involving hand-harversting and harsh working conditions. Studies shows that converting grasslands into arable soil would emit more greenhouse gases than burning fossil fuels.
The consequences for the world population include food shortages, a rise in prices for the consumer, and a degradation of soil quality. As people are being displaced, we will see an increase in land disputes, people will have to move out and farmers will be forced to sell their land because it lacks rentability.
Even if we acknowledge the truth in the arguments provided by those advocating biofuels, it cannot be denied that scientific evidence is being overlooked.
Next challenges
In November, the International Biofuels Forum will take place in Sao Paulo, and we expect Brazil to push the EU and US to reduce their tariffs on ethanol produced from sugarcane. This will be a great challenge for those European organisations fighting against the introduction of those fuels into the European market.
The Commission defended the biofuels position in the “energy-climate package,” presented at the beginning of the year. The EU should not rush in wanting to find an easy solution to the air pollution issue by replacing oil with biofuels. The solution has to be the most sustainable possible, which is not necessarily the case with sugarcane ethanol.
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For further information
– Corporate European Organisation
–Better Sugar initiative
