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Biofuel is the best solution to fuel crisis, and thus, all countries must go for its production  The world community is striving hard to find alternatives to fossil fuels. And the biofuel industry has emerged as a major player in the arena. Biofuels are petrol additives, such as ethanol, produced from plant crops. Worldwide, vast tracts of land, that previously grew food crops, are now being converted to produce crops that produce oil. For example, US – the largest producer of ethanol from corn – aims to reduce petroleum consumption by 20 per cent in the next 10 years. For this, it plans to divert one-third of its maize crop to biofuel production this year. The same shift is visible in the other biofuel producing countries like Brazil (the largest producer of ethanol from sugarcane), UK, Germany, Spain and France. But if not these lands, where else can these crops be grown? One answer may be ‘wastelands’, tracts that are not fertile enough to grow food. But a country like India needs to be careful. Because land is at premium here, and every patch of soil is used either for growing crops or fodder. Even the so-called ‘wastelands’ provide livelihood for innumerous communities. So, growing these oil-yielding plant varieties here may spell doom for our farmers and shepherds who literally live off these seemingly useless tracts. The challenge is to ensure that industries, lured by the oil-producing plants, do not jump into the bandwagon and bypass the local communities. And remember – experts predict that biofuel targets could create 600 million additional hungry people in the world by 2025! CDM is the best way out The Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) is the only mechanism for North-South cooperation in the Kyoto Protocol. Using this, industrialised countries can reduce their emissions by buying emissions from other industrialised countries and developing countries. Isn’t it the mother of all deals? Dirty air will soon become the hottest commodity on the global market! The focus of all the big polluters is to buy quickly and cheaply, and order their accounts to meet the Kyoto commitments.  The Kyoto Protocol itself says that the purpose of CDM is not to help the South but explicitly to “assist” industrialised countries (Annex 1 countries) to meet their commitment to reduce emissions. Therefore, it is designed to help the rich and not the poor. The savings in emissions have to be certified. This trading practice allows the investor to get the best choice and promotes competition among developing countries. They will compete with each other providing the rich North with the “cheapest, most efficient” portfolio of projects to invest in and also, take carbon credits. The Kyoto Protocol says that CDM will assist in providing funding. So, the North will buy what the South possesses and pay as little as possible for it. The Kyoto Protocol also says that besides “assisting” the Annex 1 countries, CDM will promote “sustainable development” in the developing countries. So, sustainable development is being sold as additional aid and technology transfer. CDM will allow the participation of private and public entities. So, not just governments but also multinational corporations can enter into deals with Southern corporations to buy and sell their emission units. Calls for global fairplay? So, what may sound interesting and offer a few dollars to money-starved developing countries will not only threaten the future of the developing world, but also, the future of the planet.
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