Biofuels: reports on a global disaster

Following on from this and this…

Annie Bird: Biofuels, Mass Evictions and Violence Build on the Legacy of the 1978 Panzos Massacre in Guatemala: Internationally-funded Guatemalan bio-fuel interests evict Mayan Qeqchi families from their historic lands, destroying homes and crops, killing one, injuring more, while thousands are without food or shelter.

Climate and Capitalism: Jatropha Biofuel Project: Emissions Up to Six Times Greater Than Fossil Fuels: A new study from Kenya shows that jatropha, which has been promoted as a “wonder fuel,” is a disaster for the environment and for the people the plantations displaced. A biofuel currently considered a green, renewable alternative to oil could cause up to six times more carbon emissions than fossil fuels, a study by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, ActionAid and Nature Kenyahas revealed. The report comes as petroleum once again climbs above $100 a barrel, pushing the demand for biofuel sky high.

BBC: Former workers at a biofuels plant near Hull are holding their biggest protest so far against the cancellation of their contracts. Redhall Engineering Solutions (RES) employees lost their jobs at Saltend Chemicals near Hull earlier this month after the project fell behind schedule.

Wales Today: Agency responsible for regulating biofuels entering the UK market and encouraging their sustainability is to close on March 31. The Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA) is to be dissolved as part of a wider review of arms-length government bodies

Related Articles

• Who is Ramiro Choc, and Why is He in a Guatemalan Prison? (news.change.org)
• The Middle East, Food and Biofuels (arwafreelance.wordpress.com)
• Bio Fuels more harmful to the Environment than Petrol! (politics.ie)
• Why ‘feed’ a car? (bbc.co.uk)
• Switching biofuels could do a double-whammy on climate change (arstechnica.com)
• Two-thirds of biofuel fails green standard (guardian.co.uk)
• Exxon’s algae biofuel ad banned over ‘misleading’ claims (euractiv.com)
• Jatropha biofuel ‘produces six times greenhouse gas emissions of fossil fuels’ (telegraph.co.uk)
• David Grann: The murder of Rodrigo Rosenberg in Guatemala. (newyorker.com)
• Scientist at Work: At Maya Site, Help From Locals (scientistatwork.blogs.nytimes.com)
• ALERT: Guatemalan Leaders Disappear on Eve of Ramiro Choc Anniversary (news.change.org)

Tags: Biofuel, biofuels