alt.energy.renewable

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) may call
for an end to biofuel production at a emergency June 3rd meeting of
world leaders. Biofuel production, which is turning vast mountains of
food into fuel, is starving people all over the world as well as
speeding global warming and causing water pollution and water
shortages. George W. Bush's Katrina style handling of the US food
supply is the greatest disaster of the 21st century, and will have a
final body count in the millions. Future historians may look back and
remember this dark time as The Great Biofuel Famine.

http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080410%5cACQRTT200804100614RTTRADERUSEQUITY_0369.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=FAO:%20High%20Food%20Prices%20To%20Remain%20For%20Now,%20More%20Riots%20Feared

FAO: High Food Prices To Remain For Now, More Riots Feared

(RTTNews) - The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has
warned of riots over food shortages in some countries while noting
that global commodity prices would remain high for now owing to
imbalances in supply-demand and blamed wrong policies of the last two
decades for the present crisis.

FAO Director General Jacques Diouf told reporters after meeting
India's agriculture minister in New Delhi on Wednesday that the rise
in prices of food commodities all over the world, is not going to
"ease in the short term in view of supply-demand situation."

Diouf also blamed wrong policies of the last two decades for the
present crisis and said FAO had warned about this earlier. "We are
paying the consequences of wrong policies over the last 10-20 years.
Addressing the first Global Agro Industries Forum, Diouf said the
world grain stocks are at its lowest since 1980s with just 4-5 million
tons of cereals stocks that can feed the global population for only
8-12 weeks.

"The world food situation is very serious today with food riots
reported from many countries like Egypt, Cameroon, Haiti, Burkina Faso
and Senegal. We fear that this may spread to many more countries," he
added.

Diouf attributed rising commodity prices across the world to
increasing demand from the developing countries, particularly in China
and India, and diversion of food grains towards production of bio-
fuels. The rising income level of people in developing economies is
driving up the food demand. He noted that people in the developing
countries spend 50-60 percent of their income on food and therefore
any rise in the food prices seriously affects them.

The FAO Director General said that FAO has called an emergency meeting
of head of states during June 3-5 to discuss the overall situation
including impact of climate change. Diouf said the meet would also
discuss whether to stop biofuel production in the developed countries,
which are diverting food grains for fuel.

Without naming the U.S., Diouf said currently 100 million tons of
cereals are being diverted for biofuel production in one country and
the quantity is estimated to increase 12-fold by 2017.
The FAO also asked world community to bring structural changes. "The
situation (food shortages) is due to a structural problem and a
decision requires to be taken at the structural level across the
world."
The supply of food grains has been affected by drought in Australia
and Kazakhstan, flood in India and Bangladesh, cold temperature in
China, besides climate change.

Diouf suggested raising productivity level of crops, investment in
rural areas and better water management to increase food production.
On his views about GM crops to increase production, he said the member
countries are divided on the issue. So far as GM issue is concerned,
FAO follows the WHO and Codex standards of food products.
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For more biofuel disaster news, see: http://home.att.net/~meditation/biofuel-news.html

For biofuel facts, see: http://home.att.net/~meditation/bio-fuel-hoax.html

Christopher Calder