by Jessica Reed
Ethanol to the rescue
Today French newspaper Liberation published a compelling article written by Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva. In it, Lula explains his country's involvement in pro-bio fuels programs which aim to slowly replace traditional sources of energy.
The Brazilian President is currently in Brussels, where he and the President of the European Commission Durão Barroso are inaugurating the International Conference on Biofuels, which aims to launch discussion on how to develop an international approach to bio-fuels, while ensuring sustainable development.
On paper, the Brasilian program sounds not only incredibly efficient, but also appears to be a life saver: Lula claims that by adding 25 percent of ethanol (extracted from sugar cane) to gas, or by pure alcohol in "flex-fuel" cars the country has reduced by 40 percent its consummation and production of fossils fuels, and managed not to emit more than 120 millions tons of carbon emissions.
News on the employment and environment front are equally impressive: the ethanol industry has directly created more than 1, 5 million jobs, and 4.5 million indirectly. According to Lula, the expansion of these greener industries has reduced deforestation by 50 % in the last 3 years.
The good vs. the bad force
But it goes without saying: the ethanol industry has its detractors. Countless reports (most often than not commissioned by oil companies, which are allegedly very active in lobbying against biofuels) are floating on the Internet: some say ethanol is harmful to engines, while others (most commonly right-wing think tanks, but also more surprisingly political leaders) find the initiative threatening for the alimentary industry.
Lula gently pushes those critics aside, underlining that the Brazilian way is a well thought-out strategy which incorporates concerns about the environment, sustainable development and employment.
The future of biofuels
Many countries are joining Brazil's example, and the biggest developing others will need to make the switch to alternative fuels urgently. As Lin Gan observes on China Dialogue, China needs to make a massive transition from traditional to modern uses of biomass, a gargantuesque task for the immense country:
Bioenergy development has become a top government priority, and China’s law on renewable energy was implemented in January 2006. The current focus is on electricity generation from surplus agricultural residues, which are estimated at 200 million tonnes yearly. The government has set up a long-term target of 30 gigawatts of electricity generated from biomass by 2020, which will require billions of dollars in investment. There is also a growing interest in the development of biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol, intended to reduce oil imports, which currently account for more than 46% of China’s total oil supply – a major energy security concern for the government.
Europe had set itself a target of getting 5.75 percent of transport running on biofuels by 2010. It will miss its target without a doubt, but the International Conference taking place today in Brussels might shake things up a bit.
