Outreach Issues A daily publication of Sustainable Development Issues Network (SDIN) and Stakeholder Forum (SF)
Biofuels – and why CSD17 THURSDAY
should grasp the chance to lead
May 7, 2009
Biofuels have occupied a prominent place in the discussions in CSD the last year, and expectations are high that weeks of considerations should at least lead to a clear recommendation on the way forward. Reading the Chair’s draft negotiating document is, however, rather disappointing.
Inside this Issue: Biofuels—and why CSD17 should grasp the chance to lead
1
Maintaining the Unique Contribution of the CSD in the UN System
3
Putting Farming First in Africa
4
Maasai Pastoralists’ Voice Are Heard in New York
5
Farming First
5
Water as a Cross-Cutting ssue for CSD17
6
The Scientific Method: Where’s the Research
8
Sustainable Development and Animal Welfare: A Critical Partnership
8
Live from the CSD
9
Food for Thought…
By: Oyvind Dahl, Norwegian Forum for Environment and Development
10
The issue of biofuels is controversial, even though many participate in the discussions with different take on what it really is. Let “Outreach Issues” clear away the confusion with this article. Here we’ll sort out the different varieties to clear the confusion, and we offer advice on how delegates can make CSD adopt a clear leadership role on the issue. It is sorely lacking today! The discussions on biofuels have been prominent in the current CSD cycle for quite some time, as well as within both the climate change negotiations and the many policy initiatives on the international food crisis. This is not reflected in the draft Chair’s summary. Delegations therefore need to rectify this in the negotiations on the final text. A brief history
Outreach Issues is the civil society newsletter produced by the SDIN Group (ANPED, TWN and ELCI) and Stakeholder Forum. Outreach Issues aims to report with attitude, from the global scene of sustainability. The organizations publishing Outreach Issues are not responsible for the content of signed articles. Opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors.
Biomass has for generations represented the main energy source for millions of people, both north and south of the Equator. Cutting of trees for firewood has been necessary to cook our food, lighten up dark corners and warm our dwellings, with few alternatives available. In addition, farmers have to some extent produced biogas from animal waste and liquid fuel from small scale crops. These energy sources are likely to represent the main energy source in developing countries for generations still, and are not a controversial issue.
In developed countries the use of biomass for energy production has developed further. Plant materials have been transformed to liquid form at an industrial scale, and powered lamps, generators and even cars, supplementing or even replacing petroleum. This liquid biofuels which a large and growing part of is produced in developing countries, are by many organizations now named agrofuels. Continued on page 2 1