Corn Agrofuel and Obama's Science Pledge

Mar 15, 2009

We are beginning to see the Obama administration playing fast and loose with ecological science, letting political necessities overwhelm ecological concerns regarding corn based ethanol agrofuels.

We are beginning to see the Obama administration playing fast and loose with ecological science, letting political necessities overwhelm ecological concerns regarding corn based ethanol agrofuels.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack is aggressively seeking to increase the amount of ethanol in gasoline from 10 to 15 percent. Corn ethanol receives billions in subsidies despite conclusive science indicating its ecological destructiveness in terms of land, water and climate. Corn-based ethanol fuel is ranked at the bottom of alternative energy sources, "with respect to climate, air pollution, land use, wildlife damage and chemical waste." And it diverts food from people to cars. Obama and farm-belt Democrats are serving the political agendas of agribusiness, rather than honoring commitments to address climate change and bring science based change to Washington.

Rainforest Rescue is concerned with America's growing ethanol industry, and the implications it has in setting a precedent for massive agricultural industralisation of the world's remaining rainforests and other natural wildlands. It is clear that biofuels are not "renewable energy" given that soils, water, land and fertilizers are in limited supply. We are currently formulating a campaign strategy on the matter. We concur with the growing ecological consensus that large-scale industrial production of transport fuels and other energy from plants such as corn, sugar cane, oil palm, soya, trees, grasses, or so-called agricultural and woodland waste threatens forests, biodiversity, food sovereignty, community-based land rights and will worsen climate change. If Obama's "New Green Economy" runs on agrofuels it will further lead to a dangerous "Green Bubble" of unrealistic promises from unsustainable industries. Much more campaign material to come...

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