Here is attachment related to this message forwarded by Soumitra.

WE WANT FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, NOT BIOFUELS

OPEN LETTER TO THE EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT, THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION, THE
GOVERNMENTS AND CITIZENS OF THE EUROPEAN UNION, JANUARY 2007


We, the undersigned organizations express before the European
Parliament, the European Commission, the governments and citizens of
the European Union, our deep concern over the policies that are
probably to be adopted to favour the use and import of biofuel as an
alternative to fossil fuels, whose disproportionate use is one of
the main causes of global warming.


The increasing use of individual automobiles and their associated
oil consumption as one of the main causes of global warming, makes
fossil fuels use grow day by day. In this context, the use of
biofuels would appear to be a positive alternative. However,
everything seems to indicate that this will generate serious
negative impacts, especially on the people of the South.


In fact, it is most unlikely that Europe will ever achieve self-
sufficiency in the production of biofuel from national production of
energy crops and therefore it is very possible that this will be
done at the expense of lands on which the food sovereignty of our
countries depend.


While Europeans maintain their lifestyle based on automobile
culture, the population of Southern countries will have less and
less land for food crops and will loose its food sovereignty. We
will have to base our diet on imported food, possibly from Europe.


In other cases, energy crops will be grown in Latin America, as well
as in Asian and African countries, at the expense of our natural
ecosystems. Soybeans are forecasted to be one of the principal
sources of biodiesel production, but it is a fact that monoculture
soybean plantations are one of the main causes of the destruction of
the rainforest in Argentina, of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and
Bolivia and of the Mata Atlântica in Brazil and Paraguay.


Indigenous territories have also been affected. The Enwene Nawe
indigenous people in the Matto Grosso declared, “Soybeans are
killing us.” At this time, some scant 429 Enawene Nawe people still
survive. Their territory has been reduced to half its size and they
are surrounded by soybean plantations. Their health is declining and
the children suffer from malnutrition.


In order to serve the soybean business, the governments of the
Southern countries are building dams, waterways, bridges and
highways with the consequent negative impacts on the environment. At
the same time, the expansion of soybean crops is affecting the
health of surrounding populations, where the levels of cancer and
other diseases associated with agro toxic chemicals used on these
monoculture plantations are increasing day by day.


Sugar cane plantations and the production of ethanol in Brazil are
the business of an agricultural monopoly using slave labour, and oil
palm plantations are expanding at the expense of forests and the
territories of the indigenous and other traditional communities of
Colombia, Ecuador and other countries, increasingly geared to
biodiesel production.


The situation is even more serious if we consider that soybean crops
in the Southern countries genetically modified and that private
companies in Brazil are planning to launch genetically modified
varieties of sugar cane on the market in the year 2010. Rejection
of genetically modified crops in Latin America is widespread, and
the expansion of crops to produce and export biofuels to Europe only
exacerbates these conflicts.


The problem of climate change generated by the countries of the
North cannot be solved by creating new problems in our region. We
are therefore appealing to the governments and people of the
European Union countries to seek solutions that do not worsen the
already dramatic social and environmental situation of the peoples
of Latin America, Asia and Africa.


IT IS TIME FOR FOOD SOVEREIGNTY


LAND MUST BE USED TO FEED PEOPLE, NOT CARS


Alert Against the Green Desert Network, Latin American Network
against Monoculture Tree Plantations, Network for a GM free Latin
America, Oilwatch South America, World Rainforest Movement
======================

--- In jatropha@..., "Soumitra Ghosh" <soumitrag@...>
wrote:
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> From: Ana Filippini <anafili@...>
> Date: Jan 8, 2007 8:54 PM
> Subject: [durban] Biofuels : A clear message from the South
> To: durban@...
>
> Dear friends,
>
>
> Please redistribute the following Press Release and the letter
attached
> among media contacts and ither networks in your countries.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Ana
>
>
> *For Inmediate Release *
>
>
> *A clear message from the South: WE WANT FOOD SOVEREIGNTY, NOT
BIOFUELS*
>
>
>
> (January 6, 2007) An open letter (please see attachment) was sent
yesterday
> to the European Parliament, The European Commission, The
Governments and
> Citizens of The European Union, in which several networks from
Latin
> American countries expressed their "deep concern over the policies
that are
> probably to be adopted to favour the use and import of biofuel as
an
> alternative to fossil fuels, whose disproportionate use is one of
the main
> causes of global warming".
>
>
>
> They point out :
>
> ? Increasing use of individual automobiles and their
associated oil
> consumption as one of the main causes of global warming, and
biofuels might
> appear to be a positive alternative. However, serious negative
impacts are
> being experienced by the people and natural resources of the South.
>
>
>
> ? Europe will never achieve self-sufficiency in the
production of
> biofuel from national production of energy crops. The EU Biofuels
directive
> being announced by the EU Commissioners next week, will drive a
massive
> market expansion in biofuels in Europe that will come at the
expense of
> lands on which the food sovereignty of Southern countries depend.
>
>
>
> ? While Europeans maintain their lifestyle based on
automobile
> culture, the population of Southern countries will have less and
less land
> for food crops and will loose its food sovereignty. We will have
to base our
> diet on imported food, possibly from Europe.
>
>
>
> Energy crops grown in Latin America for the European market :
>
> ? will increase the level of destruction of the rainforest in
> Argentina, of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil and Bolivia and of
the Mata
> Atl⮴ica in Brazil and Paraguay, and
>
>
>
> ? genetically modified soybean crops, that are already being
planted,
> affect the health of surrounding populations, where the levels of
cancer and
> other diseases associated with agro toxic chemicals used on these
> monoculture plantations are increasing day by day.
>
>
>
> ? sugar cane plantations and the production of ethanol in
Brazil are
> the business of an agricultural monopoly using slave labour, and
oil palm
> plantations are expanding at the expense of forests and the
territories of
> the indigenous and other traditional communities of Colombia,
Ecuador and
> other countries, increasingly geared to biodiesel production.
>
>
>
> The decisions on the EU Biofuels directive being made by the EU
> commissioners on January 10th are critical to the future of many
in the
> Southern nations. The Latin American networks appealed to the
governments
> and people of the European Union countries to seek solutions that
do not
> worsen the already dramatic social and environmental situation of
the
> peoples of Latin America, Asia and Africa.
>
>
>
> Some European organizations, organized a campaign to support the
Latin
> American Network position and also sent their own message to the
Commission.
> The commission are urged to act to prevent further deforestation,
> biodiversity losses, and evictions and impoverishment of local
communities
> by placing a moratorium on the EU biofuel targets and obligations
until the
> sustainable sourcing of biofuels can be guaranteed; and taking all
possible
> measures to stop imports of biofuel feedstocks for bioenergy where
crop
> production is linked to deforestation, peat drainage, biodiversity
loss,
> pollution or human rights abuses.
>
>
> Note:
>
> Additional information about this issues can be found in the
signatories'
> web pages: Alert Against the Green Desert Network,
> http://www.desertoverde.org/ ; Latin American Network against
Monoculture
> Tree Plantations, http://www.wrm.org.uy/plantations/RECOMA.html ;
Network
> for a GM free Latin America, http://www.rallt.org/ ;
>
> Oilwatch South America, http://www.oilwatch.org/ ; World
Rainforest
> Movement, http://www.wrm.org.uy/ ;
>
>
>
> Some good in-depth articles on the impact of biofuels to
communities people,
> biodiversity and resources in Latin America can be found at:
> http://www.wrm.org.uy/bulletin/112/viewpoint.html on the World
Rainforest
> Movement website.
>
>
>
> Contact details:
>
>
>
> In Latin America:
>
> Ana Filippini, World Rainforest Movement. Email: anafili@... ,
> Telephone: 598 2 4132989 Cell phone: 598 99367966
>
>
>
> Elizabeth Bravo, Email: ebravo@... Telephone: 593 22 547516
>
>
>
> In Europe:
>
> Jutta Kill, Email: jutta@... , Telephone: +44 1608 652 895
>
>
>
> Andrew Boswell, Large Scale Biofuel Action Group. Email:
> andrew.boswell@... , Telephone: +44-1603-613798, Mobile: +44-
> 7787-127881;
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Maldonado 1858, CP 11200
> Montevideo Uruguay
> Tel:598 2 4132989 Fax: 598 2 4100985
> *http://www.wrm.org.uy*
>
>
>
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> File: WE WANT FOOD SOVEREIGNTY.doc
> Date: 4 Jan 2007, 15:40
> Size: 32256 bytes.
> Type: Unknown
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