U.N.: Biofuels Starving People, Are a "Crime Against Humanity"

Biofuel Growth Causing Starvation

For those who believed that biofuels could save the world, a recent UN report could throw a wrench in their thinking. Developing biofuels may save energy...but could it also starve people?

Jean Ziegler, Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food, reported that biofuel could have a catastrophic negative impact on world hunger. Although developing the fuel to reduce oil dependency was not a bad idea, the tons of crops grown that are converted to fuel have caused food prices to rise. Most of the land used to grow those foods has been lost to fuel production. The price of wheat doubled and the cost to purchase corn quadrupled.

The drastic price changes have caused some African countries to search for food elsewhere. 31 of 53 African States now have to import food, and the poorer nations cannot afford to pay the required prices. "The amount of corn that needed to be burned to make enough ethanol to fill a single car's fuel tank could fill a child for an entire year," Zeigler said. "The effect of transforming hundreds and hundreds of thousands of tons of maize, of wheat, of beans, of palm oil, into agricultural fuel is absolutely catastrophic for the hungry people.''

Ziegler proposed a five year moratorium on converting arable land for biofuel production, labeling it a crime against humanity. Zeigler feels that foods needed for biofuel could be grown in arid lands that had soil unfit for food production. He cited that the Mercedes Company has done so with a project located in Rajasthan, India. Rajasthan has been growing jatropha, a plant resistant to drought and pests, and using it as biofuel. Continuing such projects, Zeigler suggested, could lead to the discovery of new fuels.

''It's clear we have a commitment to the development of biofuels,'' he said. ''It's also clear that we are committed to combating poverty and supporting economic development around the world as the leading contributor of overseas development assistance in the world.'' He noted that the dangers of biofuels aren't typically noticed in countries without starving people. Only the environmental benefits are highlighted.