Bio-Economies
The EU’s real ‘Green Economy’ agenda?
The European Commission's promotion of 'bioeconomies' as a central focus at Rio+20 is more about protecting banking, biotech, manufacturing, agribusiness and energy sectors then defending vulnerable communities and the environment.
A close inspection of some governments’ proposals concerning the ‘green economy’ agenda being discussed at ‘Rio+20’ reveals an absolute determination to use it as a means of protecting and developing the banking, biotech, manufacturing, agribusiness and energy sectors, even at the expense of vulnerable communities and the environment.
An important clue lies in the parallel development of ‘bio-economies,’ which are already a work in progress in a number of countries, including in the European Union. Bio-economies respond to the inevitable need to move away from fossil fuels, but do so by using biotechnologies to transform biomass into energy and an unlimited array of manufactured products. There is no emphasis on reducing consumption and it is acknowledged (in the small print in certain documents) that even with improved resource-use efficiency there will be significant increases in demand for biomass, both domestically produced and imported.
This will in turn have severe impacts on forests and food production as land is inevitably given over to biomass-production. Yet the European Commission has recommended bioeconomies as a key component of the Rio+20 agenda for a ‘green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication’.
Recent publications from Environmental Justice
A Landmark Victory for Justice: Biowatch’s Battle with the South African State and MonsantoPublished by Biowatch South Africa, this is a book about access to information, the right to know, and action in the public’s interest – a must-read for anyone campaigning for environmental or social justice. |
Protecting carbon to destroy forestsThis paper provides historical background and reports of experiences on the ground to show how land and nature enclosures are central to REDD+, and why it therefore cannot be fixed. |
Myth Busting: EU's Emissions Trading SystemSince the adoption of the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS), emissions have risen and the price of consumer energy went up along with the profits of many industrial actors. |
Accounting for carbon, depoliticising plunderThe EU aspires to global leadership in developing ‘sustainable biofuels’, arguing they can substitute for fossil fuels, but the result has been dispossession of rural communities throughout the South. |
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