Biofuels and sustainability: A view from Brazil

The alleged negative effects of biofuels production because of land use changes have also been extended to indirect land use changes in recently published studies. But the fact is that currently, none of the available models can provide a sound assessment of changes in agricultural production that might be taking place in the world as a result of expanded feedstock production in major biofuels producing countries. The models used to support this theory in recent studies present numerous fallacies. To start with, they ignore the huge improvements in yields that occur in modern agriculture. They also incorrectly assume that any crop production that is displaced by another – for biofuels or otherwise – will be unavoidably reallocated in high biodiversity areas. These are simplistic assumptions that are not validated by scientific evidence.

Biofuels are not a miraculous solution because such a solution simply doesn´t exist. The present debate around biofuels can be summarized as follows: do we want to spend years, perhaps decades, looking for a hypothetical “perfect cure” and creating sustainability expectations and criteria that no renewable fuel can meet, while continuing to encourage dependence on fossil fuels that are environmentally aggressive – through free, unobstructed trade of oil, for instance? Or should we recognize that global warming demands immediate answers and that any solution, even if not perfect, that contributes to reduce its expansion should be promoted?

It is one minute to midnight in the world of climate change: there is no time left to run away from our responsibilities.

Géraldine Kutas
International Advisor
Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association - UNICA