more intensive agriculture?. convert more land to agriculture
Post on 04-Jan-2016
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More intensive agriculture?
Convert more land to agriculture
Compete with food and feed?
Expanding agriculture
Replaces previous uses of that landNature eg savannah, forest• Carbon released, biodiversity damaged, forest people
threatened
Pastoral land• important especially in Africa
• Livestock often the only insurance policy for people
Agriculture land• Pushes farming activities elsewhere
Expanding agriculture
Pushes farming and communities into new areasDestruction of habitats• Eg sugar cane expansion pushes cattle-ranching and soy
farming into the Amazon
Social conflicts• Threatens indigenous people
• 100 million people in Indonesia depend on the forests
Land use changes = release of carbon• Most agrofuels therefore worse for the climate then
conventional oil
Indirect effects - prices
Competition for same resources - increased prices
Hardest hit - people in developing countries
False solutions:Certification as a smokescreen
Fails to deal with the main problem - over-consumption and inefficient use of resources in the North
Issue too complex to solve main issues eg leakage
Mandatory rules likely to be weak (not compatible with WTO)
Unlikely to be fully implemented or monitored
Resource document: FoEE report on certification
Ways forward - agrofuels
Drop mandatory target - its not sustainable
Fuel Quality Directive should focus on fossil fuels
Stop subsidies and other incentives
Real climate solutionsEnergy efficiency revolution
Sustainable transport higher priority
Tougher car efficiency standards
Ways forward - animal feeds
Less consumption of animal products
Raise awareness on link to GM crops
Home grown protein crops
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