UN special commisioner speaks out against biofuels, defends food rights
Count one up for the anti-biofuel side. According to Olivier de Schutter, the special commissioner in charge of Food Rights at the United Nations, so-called "green fuels" are a determinant factor in the world's food crisis. De Schutter believes that 100 million hectares (about 247 million acres) will be necessary to produce five percent of our fuel needs by 2015, something he considers simply impossible. He also said that American plans to produce 36 billion gallons of biofuels by 2022 and the EU's plans to add 10 percent biofuels are unrealistic. De Schutter's main argument is that if food markets see an unlimited opportunity for growth (via biofuels), they won't be able to regulate themselves, and trying to stop this perspective can hamper speculative movements. [Source: Libération]
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