Many thanks for your comment. My main point is that sugarcane production for bioethanol does not take place within the Amazonas region – which is a common misunderstanding here in Germany. As my initial formulation was indeed not specific enough, I changed the wording in order to be more precise. In my <a href="http://www.swp-berlin.org/de/publikationen/swp-aktuell-de/swp-aktuell-detail/article/deutsch_brasilianische_energiepartnerschaft.html" rel="nofollow">policy paper for the SWP</a>, I also refer to the working conditions and local environmental impacts, such as air pollution – to demonstrate that the sustainability concerns that are commonly brought forward in Brazil are different to the food vs. fuel debate and the clearing of the Amazonas rain forest. However, several Brazilian NGO representatives that I met during my research in Brazil highlighted that the Brazilian ethanol industry has nowadays higher social and environmental standards than the ones that are prevailing in Brazilian agribusiness in general. And I would like to make another point here: whenever we criticize biofuels we should not blind out the negative impacts of oil production. If we forget to talk about oil, well-intended sustainability concerns may even perpetuate our oil dependency – and here, nothing is gained.
Dear Cintia,
Many thanks for your comment. My main point is that sugarcane production for bioethanol does not take place within the Amazonas region – which is a common misunderstanding here in Germany. As my initial formulation was indeed not specific enough, I changed the wording in order to be more precise. In my <a href="http://www.swp-berlin.org/de/publikationen/swp-aktuell-de/swp-aktuell-detail/article/deutsch_brasilianische_energiepartnerschaft.html" rel="nofollow">policy paper for the SWP</a>, I also refer to the working conditions and local environmental impacts, such as air pollution – to demonstrate that the sustainability concerns that are commonly brought forward in Brazil are different to the food vs. fuel debate and the clearing of the Amazonas rain forest. However, several Brazilian NGO representatives that I met during my research in Brazil highlighted that the Brazilian ethanol industry has nowadays higher social and environmental standards than the ones that are prevailing in Brazilian agribusiness in general. And I would like to make another point here: whenever we criticize biofuels we should not blind out the negative impacts of oil production. If we forget to talk about oil, well-intended sustainability concerns may even perpetuate our oil dependency – and here, nothing is gained.
Sybille