Brazil will be hosting representatives from 190 countries, including several world leaders for the International Conference on Biofuels, which is scheduled for November in São Paulo, capital of the Brazilian southeastern state of São Paulo.

The Brazilian Environment Ministry, one of the organizers of the five-day meeting, said the main purpose of the meeting is to convince the world of the sustainability of green fuels such as ethanol and biodiesel.

Together with the United States Brazil leads a global initiative to promote the production and consumption of biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels. Brazil is the world's main producer and exporter of sugarcane ethanol and the US of corn ethanol.

Both argue that biofuels could help reduce world demand for hydrocarbons and also help lower contaminating emission volumes responsible for the greenhouse climate effect.

Brazil has signed agreements with several countries for the transfer of biofuel technology and the European Union and Japan have already announced plans to blend ethanol with fossil fuels.

However some non government organizations argue that ethanol could accelerate the devastation of the Amazon forests, the region towards where sugar cane plantations are advancing and thus aggravating the current greenhouse effect.

Other countries such as Venezuela and Cuba have warned that the growing interest in bio fuels is increasing the price of food which could worsen the hunger and malnutrition situation in several developing countries.

Brazil apparently is open to have all parties participate in the forum, governments, businessmen, scientists and NGO.

Egon Krakhecke Sustainable Extraction and Development Environment minister believes the forum will allow Brazil show to the world that ethanol production is not damaging for the environment.

Krakhecke said that those who favor and support biofuels will have all the answers for those who criticize ethanol and biodiesel production during the São Paulo meeting.

"Brazil is aware of its international leadership in the biofuels business, and is also aware of doubts and restrictions that are imposed regarding production of this alternative fuel," he emphasized.

Mercopress

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Funny !!!!!
written by ch.c., April 18, 2008

For years Brazil criticized the USA for their corn ethanol !

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written by Hsp, April 19, 2008

While corn is used to make feed to animals, sugarcane isn't. I think thats the big difference. Price of corn is rising and so the price of meat, consequently.
One more thing is that one can always have more ethanol from an acre of sugarcane then in the same area of corn, and of course the costs are way below.
I dont agree the ethanol program in Brazil can cause the rising of price of the food. since early 1980's Brazil is producing this biofuel and the food production
increases each year (soybeans, corn, beans, rice and so on)

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