UN expert Jean Ziegler has asked a UN General Assembly committee to impose a five-year ban on biofuel production, to allow for the development of new technologies and stabilize food prices.
In one year, the cost of wheat doubled and that of corn quadrupled, due to the growing interest in biofuels, which are seen as a good alternative to oil. But for the Swiss sociologist, these products are a “crime against humanity.”
Jean Ziegler presented his report the day before yesterday, detailing some of the conclusions he had made two weeks ago, at a controversial press conference in Geneva. According to the UN expert, biofuels are causing a sharp rise in food prices, with potentially disastrous consequences for developing countries, especially the poorest segments of the population.
One in six people suffers from hunger, a total of 854 million people. This scourge disproportionately affects children. According to the United Nations, the planet produces enough food to feed 12 billion people, nearly double the world’s population.
Yet the number of people suffering from acute malnutrition has risen from 80 million to 200 million over the past 30 years. And every day, 100,000 people die from hunger or its direct consequences.
On the other hand, science is developing rapidly in the field of biofuels, Ziegler added, “In just five years, it will be possible to produce bioethanol and biodiesel from agricultural waste.” The expert was referring to the cellulosic parts of plants, which are now useless, instead of corn, wheat and sugarcane. Scientists are also studying alternatives, such as the Jatropha curcas shrub, which grows in arid areas that are not suitable for agriculture.
The UN expert’s argument focuses on food, but the idea that there are significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions when biofuels are used in gasoline is also controversial. Some scientists say the production phase negates those gains.
With the official presentation of the report, the debate finally reaches the highest political level, after the same arguments were highlighted by the Cuban regime, but also by the IMF.
One example Ziegler gave was corn, one of the least efficient biofuel foods. It takes 250 kilograms of corn to produce just 50 liters of bioethanol. That’s enough to feed a child for a year.
