Agrofuels – the poor made to pay for lies about climate change

Hunger is exacerbated by the cultivation of energy crops
Around the world, oil palms, sugar canes and the jatropha nut, which contains oil, are being grown on more and more areas of farmland to produce ethanol or diesel. According to a study by the World Bank, the boom in agro-fuels accounts for up to 75% of the hikes in food prices. Moreover, families of peasant farmers and indigenous communities are losing their land. More»

World Bank: Agrofuels responsible for hunger crisis
A World Bank study has shown that agrofuels are the main cause of the hunger crisis. More»

Jatropha cultivation in India
The Indian government plans to increase the proportion of agrofuel in national gasoline consumption to 20 per cent by 2017. To achieve this ambitious target, it is planning to set aside large areas of land for growing plants for energy. More»

Moratorium instead of subsidies
Switzerland has been promoting the use of agro-fuels since 1 July 2008 by exempting them from fuel duty. With this indirect form of subsidy, Switzerland is also contributing to the growing demand for ethanol and diesel produced from vegetable raw materials. SWISSAID is calling for a moratorium on imports. More»