Latest News on the Food and Fuel Crisis
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India: National Policy on Bio-Fuel
The Union Cabinet gave its approval to the National Policy on Biofuel along with setting up of an empowered National Biofuel Coordination Committee, headed by the Prime Minister and a Biofuel Steering Committee headed by Cabinet Secretary. Under the approved policy, the country aims to raise blending of bio fuels with petrol and diesel to 20% by the year 2017.
Source: Press Information Bureau Weblink: please visit the Press Information Bureau Website
Submitted by esc, 24. Sep 2008
Conference in Vienna: World Wide Hunger for Ressources
Sept 18th: The conference organized by the Autrian National Bank and the Austrian Chapter and European Support Centre of the Club of Rome discusses the conflict between biofuel and food production.
Source: Conference Website Weblink: please visit the Conference Website
Submitted by esc, 18. Sep 2008
More Sustainable Energy in Road Transport Targets
Sept 11: The Industry Committee of the European Parliament championed more sustainable biofuels in a vote on Thursday when it decided not only to support the Commission proposal that by 2020 at least 10% of the energy used in road transport should be from renewables, but also to insist that at least 40% of that renewable energy would be from more sustainable sources than traditional biofuel.
Source: European Parliament Weblink: please visit the European Parliament Website
Submitted by esc, 12. Sep 2008
Biofuels Are Indefensible in Our Hungry World
Article in the Wall Street Journal by Peter Brabeck-Letmathe, chairman of Nestle,
Source: Wall Street Journal Weblink: please visit the Wall Street Journal Website
Submitted by esc, 10. Sep 2008
Africa Becoming a Biofuel Battleground
Sept 5th: The article by Horand Knaup in "Der Spiegel" states that Western companies are pushing to acquire vast stretches of African land to meet the world's biofuel needs.
Source: Der Spiegel Weblink: please visit the Der Spiegel Website
Submitted by esc, 9. Sep 2008
Verbio reduces Bioethanol Production
Sept 1st: VERBIO Vereinigte BioEnergie AG announces the reduction of production at its bioethanol plant in Zoerbig, Germany: “The grain prices are lower than they were last year, but still it is not possible to supply the market with competitive ethanol products, because imports are still cheaper than European ethanol.”
Source: VERBIO Weblink: please visit the VERBIO Website
Submitted by esc, 2. Sep 2008
Renewable Fuels Agency releases its first data on UK biofuels
August 2008: The Renewable Fuels Agency published its first monthly report on the supply of biofuels under the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation; covering the period 15 April - 14 May 2008.
Biofuels accounted for 2.14% of UK road fuel against a target for the year of 2.5 %. More biodiesel (86%) has been supplied than bioethanol (14%).
The market has been dominated by imports. The feedstock is known for nearly 90% of biofuels, while both feedstock and country of origin are known for 57%. The most widely reported feedstock was American soy (22%), for biodiesel and Brazilian sugarcane (79%) for bioethanol.
Source: Renewable Fuel Agency Weblink: please visit the Renewable Fuela Agency Website
Submitted by esc, 19. Aug 2008
Biopetrol Industries AG: BIOPETROL continues its strong growth
The company reports that the 2nd quarter of 2008, like the first, was burdened by rising prices for rapeseed oil and soya oil, heavily subsidized biodiesel imports (B99) from abroad, as well as by tax. But sales rose 51.3% above the 1st half of 2007 (EUR 92.4 million) to EUR 139.9 million.
Source: Biopetrol Industries AG Weblink: please visit the Biopetrol Industries AG Website
Submitted by esc, 19. Aug 2008
Cassava for Food and Energy Security
The tropical root crop cassava could help protect the food and energy security of poor countries now threatened by soaring food and oil prices, FAO said. At a global conference, cassava scientists called for a significant increase in investment in research and development needed to boost farmers’ yields and explore promising industrial uses of cassava, including production of biofuels.
Source: FAO Weblink: please visit the FAO Website
Submitted by esc, 28. Jul 2008
Biofuel policies in OECD countries costly and ineffective, says OECD report
Government support of biofuel production in OECD countries is costly, has a limited impact on reducing greenhouse gases and improving energy security, and has a significant impact on world crop prices, according to a new study of policies to promote greater production and use of biofuel in OECD countries.
Source: OECD Weblink: please visit the OECD Website
Submitted by esc, 20. Jul 2008
Renewable Fuel Agency publishes Gallagher review on indirect effects of biofuels
"We have concluded that there is a future for a sustainable biofuels industry but that feedstock production must avoid agricultural land that would otherwise be used for food production. This is because the displacement of existing agricultural production, due to biofuel demand, is accelerating land-use change and, if left unchecked, will reduce biodiversity and may even cause greenhouse gas emissions rather than savings."
Source: Renewable Fuela Agency Weblink: please visit the Renewable Fuela Agency Website
Submitted by esc, 14. Jul 2008
US Senate Hearing on Food and Biofuel
Statements which were made at a hearing of the US Senate Committe on Energy and Natural Resources to receive testimony on the relationship between US renewable fuels policy and food prices, have been published online.
Source: US Senate Weblink: please visit the US Senate Website
Submitted by esc, 11. Jul 2008
G8 Leaders Statement on Global Food Security
July 8, 2008: G8 countries promise to ensure the compatibility of policies for the sustainable production and use of biofuels with food security and accelerate development and commercialization of sustainable second-generation biofuels from non-food plant materials and inedible biomass; in this regard, the G8 states will work together with other relevant stakeholders to develop science-based benchmarks and indicators for biofuel production and use.
Source: G8 Summit Weblink: please visit the G8 Summit Website
Submitted by esc, 8. Jul 2008
Action Aid Report: Cereal Offenders
G8 failure on food prices, climate change and biofuels places 1.7 billion people – 25% of the world’s population – at risk of hunger, warns ActionAid.
ActionAid is calling on G8 leaders to:
- Support a five-year moratorium on biofuel expansion, to prevent farmland being converted into biofuel plantations.
- End subsidies and targets aimed at increasing the use of ethanol and biodiesel in the US and EU.
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Scale up alternative renewable energy sources instead of subsidizing biofuels
Source: Action Aid Weblink: please visit the Action Aid Website
Submitted by esc, 4. Jul 2008
European Central Bank Increases Interest Rate Because Food and Energy Prices Increased Sharply
Jean-Claude Trichet, President of EZB stated: With regard to price developments, annual HICP inflation has remained well above the level consistent with price stability since last autumn, reaching 3.7 per cent in May 2008 and, according to Eurostat's flash estimate, 4.0 per cent in June. This worrying level of inflation rates results largely from sharp increases in energy and food prices at the global level in recent months.
Source: European Central Bank Weblink: please visit the European Central Bank Website
Submitted by esc, 3. Jul 2008
World Bank President to G8 - World Entering a Danger Zone
Group of 8 leaders and major oil producers must act now to address the man-made catastrophe caused by high food and oil prices, World Bank Group President Robert B. Zoellick said prior to the G8 Summit in Hokkaido.
For the first time since 1973, the world is being hit with a combination of record oil and food prices, threatening to drive over 100 million people into extreme poverty and reverse the gains made in overcoming poverty over the last seven years.
Source: World Bank Weblink: please visit the World Bank Website
Submitted by esc, 3. Jul 2008
Weather Risks and Biofuel Production
NYT reports that the record storms and floods in the Midwest of the U.S. "struck at the heart
of America's corn region". If America relied more on corn for its fuel supply,
it would become vulnerable to hazards that can damage crops.
Source: New York Times Weblink: please visit the New York Times Website
Submitted by tsc, 2. Jul 2008
Despite Slowing Oil Demand, IEA Sees Continued Market Tightness Over the Medium Term
Record prices in the oil market in recent months have become a threat to the global economy and social welfare of millions of people, some are calling it the third oil shock. While we have seen some weakening in demand in the OECD, supply constraints, refinery limitations and continued demand growth in key emerging markets will maintain pressure in the market over the medium term
Source: International Energy Agency Weblink: http://www.iea.org/Textbase/press/pressdetail.asp?PRESS_REL_ID=267
Submitted by tsc, 2. Jul 2008
China: Food and Biofuel
FoodProductionDaily reports that according to a government statement, Chinese biofuel producers should
not use food crops.
There seem to be concerns related to increasing food prices.
Source: FoodProductionDaily Weblink: http://www.foodproductiondaily.com/news/
Submitted by esc, 1. Jul 2008
High food prices could reverse agricultural growth in transition countries
26 June 2008, Innsbruck, Austria - Soaring food prices could reverse the significant growth in agricultural production recorded by some of the poorest countries in Europe and Central Asia over the past 10 years, said FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf today at the opening of the 26th FAO Regional Conference for Europe.
Source: FAO Weblink: please visit the FAO Website
Submitted by tsc, 28. Jun 2008
Food Summit in Rome
FAO has published all information related to the June 2008 Food Summit in Rome, like press releases, the final statement and media.
Source: FAO Weblink: please visit the FAO Website
Submitted by tsc, 28. Jun 2008
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