Biofuel bill won’t solve climate crisis but may make food crisis worse, say Greens

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s biofuel bill is not designed to address the climate crisis and it should be rejected by Parliament, says the Green Party. The government has introduced Bill C-33, which would make mandatory a minimum five percent biofuel content in all fuels by 2010.

“This bill is little more than another Harper government handout to the biofuel industry,” said Green Party leader Elizabeth May. “Already, support for biofuels, at $2.2 billion, is the most expensive environment program in the 2008 budget. With increased biofuel subsidization linked to rising food prices and world hunger, the Green Party believes this legislation will perpetuate the problem. It is critical that any legislation distinguish between food crop-based biofuels and other types, like cellulosic ethanol, fuel made from farm remnants and crops not grown directly for food.”

Ms. May added that relying on ethanol produced from crops grown directly for fuel is dangerous.

“It is clear that corn-based ethanol is contributing to the world food crisis. We cannot allow people to go hungry for the sake of filling gas tanks. Farmers must be paid a fair price to produce food crops for eating, not for driving.”

The government is claiming that Bill C-33 will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by four megatonnes per year, something the Green Party says could be more easily accomplished by improving vehicle fuel efficiency standards.

“On a life-cycle basis, corn ethanol results in only a marginal reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels,” said Environment critic and Guelph by-election candidate Mike Nagy. “Mr. Harper’s stated goal could be met and even surpassed by adopting California’s vehicle emissions standards and thereby reducing tailpipe emissions by 30 percent over the next decade. Instead, Mr. Harper has chosen to harmonize Canada with the Bush Administration’s weak standards.”

Mr. Nagy said that if the Harper government was serious about reducing vehicular greenhouse gas emissions and stopping climate change, it would also implement a carbon tax and focus on fuel efficiency, public transportation, reducing vehicle dependency and expanding the low carbon economy.

“Touting biofuel as the ultimate solution to climate change is part of Mr. Harper’s strategy to greenwash his government’s missing climate plan. But Canadians will not be fooled into believing this government is serious about climate change action when they see Mr. Harper putting all his eggs in the biofuel basket. The Green Party will continue to press for meaningful action on the climate file from Mr. Harper.”