Brazil’s biofuel plan is unsustainable

Deforestation is the cause of 80 per cent of Brazil's CO2 emissions Copyright: IRD/Osès

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<h1>Brazil’s biofuel plan is unsustainable</h1>
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<p>The Brazilian government is promoting the use of biodiesel produced from soya beans to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.</p>
<p>But, says Giulio Volpi in this article, clearing large areas of Amazonian rainforest to grow soybeans is too high an environmental price for this policy to be sustainable.</p>
<p>He says the deforestation caused by soybean farming in Brazil means the biodiesel has "virtually no advantage" over fossil fuels, in terms of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by each form of fuel.</p>
<p>Deforestation is responsible for 80 per cent of Brazil’s carbon dioxide emissions.</p>
<p>Volpi’s article responds to another, by Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva, promoting the country’s efforts to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.</p>
<p>Volpi argues policymakers should only promote biofuels whose overall environmental effect is positive.</p>
<p>To achieve this, he calls for a certification scheme to assess each biofuel according to environmental and social criteria.</p>
<p class="MsoBlockText"><a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" target="_blank" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1731881,00.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to full article in <em>The Guardian</em></a></p>
<p class="MsoBlockText"><a onclick="pageTracker._trackPageview('/tracking/external/'+this.href);" target="_blank" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/comment/story/0,,1725203,00.html" rel="noopener noreferrer">Link to article by president Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva</a></p>
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<p>This article was originally published on <a href="https://www.scidev.net" target="_blank">SciDev.Net</a>. Read the <a href="https://www.scidev.net/global/opinions/brazils-biofuel-plan-is-unsustainable/" target="_blank">original article</a>.</p>
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The Brazilian government is promoting the use of biodiesel produced from soya beans to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

But, says Giulio Volpi in this article, clearing large areas of Amazonian rainforest to grow soybeans is too high an environmental price for this policy to be sustainable.

He says the deforestation caused by soybean farming in Brazil means the biodiesel has "virtually no advantage" over fossil fuels, in terms of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by each form of fuel.

Deforestation is responsible for 80 per cent of Brazil’s carbon dioxide emissions.

Volpi’s article responds to another, by Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva, promoting the country’s efforts to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels.

Volpi argues policymakers should only promote biofuels whose overall environmental effect is positive.

To achieve this, he calls for a certification scheme to assess each biofuel according to environmental and social criteria.

Link to full article in The Guardian

Link to article by president Luiz Inácio ‘Lula’ da Silva