Abandon biofuel plans, say Greens

Abandon biofuel plans, say Greens
 
Millvale - In the wake of an escalating global food crisis the Green Party of PEI is calling on Premier Ghiz to put the brakes on public funding for biofuel initiatives and assure concerned Islanders that he will not legislate biofuel content in gasoline as some other provinces have already done.

"Growing crops to feed our gas tanks is a catastrophe for the world's poor," said Green Party leader Sharon Labchuk.  "Escalating food prices, due in part to biofuel production, mean the poor are going hungry. The United Nations' independent expert on the right to food spoke out last year against devoting agricultural land to biofuel production, calling it a crime against humanity.  All over the world, public opposition to biofuel is strengthening, food riots are breaking out, and some governments are reconsidering policies that promote fuel crops over food crops."

Biofuels are an environmental disaster as tropical rainforests are razed to satisfy demand in rich countries.  All the major biofuels cause a massive increase in carbon emissions, accelerating climate change and further compromising the capacity of the planet to produce enough food to feed the world.

"We have no food security in PEI.  Most of our food is imported and as the end of the fossil fuel era approaches, chemical fertilizers and pesticides are becoming more expensive, transportation costs have nowhere to go but up and food prices are increasing," said Labchuk.  "There's only so much arable land on the planet and it's disappearing at an alarming rate.  The Green Party would focus policies on growing local organic food rather than chase the false promise of biofuel."

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Contact: Sharon Labchuk  902-621-0719  or  902-940-1262