Written by: ECRA Bloggers 11/03/2010 10:11 

Send an email to Shell to protest against their plans to make the largest ever investment in biofuels in a deal worth $12 billion.

Brazilian sugar cane is responsible for the destruction of large areas of cerrado and of forest, including Amazon. Although the Brazilian biofuels industry has invested heavily in promoting sugar cane as a truly “green” fuel, the reality is not as clear cut.

When existing agricultural land is given over to sugar cane plantations, the displaced farmers move into tropical forests to find and create new land for their agriculture.

Although sugar cane is currently given a high CO2 saving rating by the EU, if the CO2 released during this indirect deforestation is factored in, it could take sugar cane ethanol 17 years to repay its climate debt . This means that for 17 years, Shell will be supplying biofuel with higher emissions than those from the fossil fuel you supply.

Another crucial issue for the sugar cane industry is the use of slave labour and appalling working conditions. Shell’s new Brazilian partner, Cosan is currently embroiled in a battle with the Brazilian government over whether or not it should be included on their “black list” of sugar cane companies that use slave labour.

German campaign group Rainforest Rescue is asking people to write to Shell to ask them to call a halt to their proposed new venture with Cosan and to instead invest in truly renewable energy such as wind and solar.

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