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A letter to the European Parliament to drop the 10% target
On July 7th, the Environment committee of the European Parliament will vote on the Renewables Directive including the 10% agrofuel target. There are amendments tabled which would make this target to be dropped.
However, at the moment it does not at all look sure that the ENVI committee will drop the target. Apparently there is still not enough pressure!
So, please, help by doing the following. Below you find a model (draft!) letter that you can use, you can add to it, and send it (personalised if possible) to the list of ENVI committee members (download excel file). Faxing is also great.
Include for example an argument or example of your own, or fax a good press article especially if from the press from their country.
If you have a bit more time, it's even better if you could call a few of them to express your concerns further, the basic message always being that the taret should be dropped! It has to be that simple right now. You will find more detailed info from FoE Europe below.
Thanks a lot for your help, and please share with us your letters.
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We would like to ask you to write to as many of your MEPs as possible, either by email, fax or letter in the next 2 weeks. The vote is on the 7th July in Strasbourg.
Please feel free to edit the letter to your own context and of course your own language. It would be also very important that we meet or call MEPs over the next 2 weeks. We can help you do this if needed.
Just to add that most important for reaching MEPs is to make the letter personal and authentic:
1. Choose the MEPs from your country
2. Translate into your language - please don't hesitate to shorten the letter if that helps
3. Send each MEP an own version addressing them personally
4. Ask for a response on whether the support dropping the target or not
5. Additionally you could ask for meeting before they vote on 7 July in Strasbourg - usually MEPs are reachable in their constituency offices on Friday + weekends.
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26 June 2008
To: Members of the Environment Committee of the European Parliament
7 July vote: Agrofuel target must be dropped - sustainability cannot be guaranteed
Dear MEP,
In light of the upcoming vote in the Environment Committee on the Renewables Directive on July 7th, we urgently call on you to reject the 10% agrofuel target. This target will form a major incentive for the expansion of monoculture plantations world wide, with growing poverty and environmental degradation as its consequence. Car efficiency standards, voted on later this year, should not be weakened in exchange for more agrofuel use - as the Commission has now proposed.
The sustainability of the agrofuels needed to meet the target cannot be guaranteed, since sustainability criteria cannot deal with indirect impacts like displacement, causing deforestation and social conflicts over natural resources, and growing food prices. Whereas many now see the problems associated with palmoil and soy oil, others still believe that sugar cane ethanol is better - despite the current deforestation rates in Brazil, leading to Brazil's Environment Minister Marina Silva to resign, and despite the inhumane labour conditions.
Some of the industry-NGO certification initiatives are highly controversial, such as the Round Table on Responsible Soy (RTRS), and the rudimentary 'Better Sugarcane Initiative' (BSI) that is promoted by some to set standards for 'better' sugar cane production. Both initiatives lack legitimacy and representation from small producers or labourers. The RTRS has provoked several counter-conferences and demonstrations in Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina, and declarations and calls for civil society organisations to withdraw from this platform.
Already three years in the making, the Better Sugarcane Initiative has yet to publish a single draft concerning its standards. Furthermore, voting rights and access to the steering committee can be obtained by paying the amount of 25,000 euros. Zero stakeholders from civil society organizations, labor unions, or local communities can be counted among its members, showing BSI's very unrepresentative nature.
The expansion driven by agrofuel demand will out do any supposed positive impacts of certification. These certification initiatives, that have now allowed oil and energy companies membership, will legitimise this expansion and therefore actively contribute to the damage.
We are also concerned that this directive will lead to strong support for so-called second generation agrofuels, which will lead to massive new demand for monoculture tree plantations to produce cellulose. These plantations are a notorious source of social and environmental conflicts in countries like Brazil.
We therefore call on you to vote 7th July to drop the mandatory 10% agrofuel target. Even lower percentages would still promote current unsustainable agrofuel production.
Yours sincerely,
1 Agrofuels in Brazil; Fact Finding Mission report on the impacts of agrofuel expansion on the enjoyment of social rights of rural workers, indigenous peoples and peasants in Brazil. www.fian.org
2 See for a list of declarations and press releases: http://www.corporateeurope.org/agrofuels.html
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Miembros del Comité de Medio Ambiente del Parlamento Europeo
Asunto: La Directiva de Energías Renovables debe fomentar coches eficientes y no agrocombustibles no sostenibles
Estimado/a Eurodiputado/a,
Próximamente se votará en el Comité de Medio Ambiente la Directiva de Renovables., Le pedimos que rechace el objetivo del 10% de agrocombustibles y en cambio, exija normas más firmes para los fabricantes de coches en una votación que se producirá más adelante este año.
Apoyamos por completo el paso que hace Europa para adoptar objetivos ambiciosos de reducción de gases de efecto invernadero (GEI) y sobre energías renovables. Sin embargo, esos objetivos tienen que producir auténticas reducciones de GEI, ser ambiental y socialmente favorables, además de evitar la competencia con el cultivo de alimentos. El incremento del uso de agrocombustibles en el transporte no es la solución adecuada.
Tal y como está ahora, la propuesta de la Comisión promocionaría la producción de estos agrocombustibles que se ha demostrado incrementan la expropiación de tierras, la deforestación y el precios de los alimentos. Según recientes datos científicos las reducciones de emisiones de los agrocombustibles han sido claramente sobreestimadas y en muchos casos pueden ser incluso peores para el clima. Al mismo tiempo, la Comisión ha propuesto debilitar el objetivo para la industria de coches de 120g CO2/km con una propuesta que se discute actualmente en el Parlamento.
Todo esto no añade nada a una estrategia factible y responsable contra el cambio climático.
Tiene Vd la posibilidad de corregir este error y prevenir los daños a la credibilidad de la política europea de cambio climático, votando el 7 de julio:
contra el objetivo obligatorio de 10% de agrocombustibles – incluso porcentajes más bajos también fomentarían la producción no sostenible de agrocombustibles y no mandarían una señal clara a los fabricantes de coches para invertir en tecnologías limpias.
Tenemos confianza de que, como diputado elegido por los ciudadanos, Vd ayudará a asegurar que las decisiones de la UE serán transparentes y equilibradas, valorando la amenaza para la biodiversidad y los problemas globales de hambre, frente a unas reducciones de GEI insuficientes e inciertas.
Reciba un cordial saludo,
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Draft Letter, 19 June 2008, german version
To: Members of the Environment Committee of the European Parliament
Renewable Energy Directive must promote efficient cars and not unsustainable biofuels
Sehr geehrte/r Herr/Frau MdEP ...
Angesichts der im Umweltausschuss anstehenden Abstimmung zur europäischen Richtlinie über Erneuerbare Energien rufen wir Sie auf, das Beimischungsziel von 10% abzulehnen und stattdessen, bei einer Abstimmung, die für den weiteren Verlauf dieses Jahres erwartet wird, für schärfere Grenzwerte für PKW-Produzenten einzutreten.
Wir unterstützen die ambitionierten europäischen Ziele zur Senkung der Treibhausgas-Emissionen und der Steigerung von Erneuerbaren Energien. Aber dies muss eine wirkliche Verringerung der Emissionen ergeben, die sozial und umweltbzogen verträglich ist und vor allem keine Konkurrenz zu Nahrungspflanzen darstellt. Die Erhöhung des Anteils von Agro-Kraftstoffen ist nicht die richtige Antwort.
Nach dem derzeitigen Stand würde der Vorschlag der Europäischen Kommission die Produktion dieser Agro-Treibstoffe ankurbeln und dreierlei bewirken: die Erhöhung des Landverbrauchs, vermehrten Waldverlust und die Steigerung der Nahrungsmittelpreise. Gemäß den neuesten wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen wurde die Treibhausgas-Einsparung durch diese Agro-Treibstoffe bei weitem überschätzt, in vielen Fällen sind sie sogar schädlich für das Klima. Gleichzeitig unterbreitet die Kommission in einem Vorschlag, der jetzt im Parlament diskutiert wird, vor, die Zielvorgabe für die Autoindustrie, den CO2-Ausstoß auf 120 g/km zu verringern, abzuschwächen.
Daraus ergibt sich keine verantwortliche und funktionstüchtige Klimastrategie.
Sie haben die Möglichkeit, diesen Fehler zu korrigieren und Schaden für die Glaubwürdigkeit der europäischen Klimaschutzpolitik abzuwenden, indem Sie am 7. Juli abstimmen:
gegen das 10%-Beimischungsziel für Agro-Treibstoffen – selbst geringere Prozentsätze würden die nicht nachhaltige Produktion von Agro-Treibstoffen fördern und wären kein Signal an die PKW-Industrie, in sauberere Technologien zu investieren.
Wir vertrauen darauf, dass Sie als gewählte/r Repräsentant/in der BürgerInnen dabei helfen werden, eine transparente und ausgewogene Entscheidungsfindung der EU zu sichern angesichts des drohenden des Verlusts an biologischer Vielfalt und des Welthungers auf der einen Seite und kleiner, ungewisser Treibhausgas-Emissionseinsparungen auf der anderen Seite.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
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More Info:
Action Against the Agrofuels
Interviews on the Impacts of Agrofuels
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2024 Carbon Trade Watch