The price of oil topped $100 a barrel recently, leading politicians and corporate agribusinesses to call for increased use of agrofuels–fuels made from plants (such as soy, corn and sugar cane) that are grown in industrial-scale monocultures and often genetically modified. In addition, the triple-digit price of oil–thought to be mainly the result of rising demand from China–was a reminder that climate change caused by greenhouse gases is an international problem that requires international solutions.

In Bali last December, the international community took steps to address climate change, although opinions differed as to how successful the talks were. In this issue of Grassroots Online, we offer a sampling of grassroots perspectives on those talks.

We also share a background paper by Via Campesina that illuminates the role that small-scale farmers play in helping slow climate change. Via Campesina's leader was recently honored by a British newspaper, and we share that good news.

We also provide a link to a new video that documents the threat that consumerism poses to the climate and environmental sustainability. As for agrofuels, evidence shows that their production causes deforestation and environmental damage, worsens climate change, exacerbates land and labor conflicts and seriously threatens the food, land and other human rights of indigenous and traditional communities and the rural poor. In this newsletter, we share some recent reports about agrofuels and invite you to sign a petition calling for a moratorium on them.

Fueling Disaster

Communities that are trying to feed themselves and thereby achieve greater food security face tremendous threats from industrial-scale agrofuels. These communities are often ignored amidst the clamor for "clean" fuels often produced through destructive agricultural practices. A December report co-published by The Community Food Security Coalition, Grassroots International and other groups, and whose lead author was Grassroots' Corrina Steward, outlines the impact of agrofuels on the environment, agricultural workers' rights, the economies of communities, and overall food security. You can read the report here. It also features contributions from WHY (World Hunger Year), the Crossroads Resource Center, the National Catholic Rural Life Conference and the Agribusiness Accountability Initiative.

A Moratorium on Agrofuels

A coalition of organizations, including Grassroots International, is calling for an immediate moratorium on U.S. incentives for agrofuels, U.S. agroenergy monocultures and global trade in agrofuels. Recently, the United States Congress passed the Energy Independence and Security Act, which mandates the use of 36 billion gallons of agrofuels per year by 2022--a five-fold increase over present levels. Establishing such a dramatically expanded mandate makes it inevitable that a significant portion of the agrofuels requirement will be met with imported sources such as palm oil from Southeast Asia and Latin America, and especially sugarcane ethanol and soy biodiesel from Brazil. The coalition believes that if the U.S. seeks to transfer its dependency on foreign oil to a dependency on foreign agrofuels, U.S. energy independence and security will not improve. Rather, conflicts in these areas will increase as agribusinesses expands their control over land and markets in the Global South, driven largely by U.S. consumption.

It is imperative that the call for an immediate moratorium on U.S. incentives for agrofuels is heard. Sign up here and read the full background report.

Myths and Impacts of Agrofuels - A Report from Latin America

In October, Brazil's Pastoral Land Commission and The Network for Social Justice and Human Rights (a Grassroots International partner) released a report about the human and environmental costs of the industrial biofuel model in Latin America. The report grew out of a seminar, which took place in São Paulo, Brazil, last February, on the expansion of sugarcane plantations in Central and South America. Read the report here.

Perspectives on the Bali climate talks

Focus on the South has compiled six articles written by on-the-ground observers of the Bali climate talks in December. The articles offer grassroots perspectives on what happened at this important event. You can read the articles here. Also, veteran activist Martin Khor of the Third World Network in Malaysia provides a clear and cogent analysis of the talks. You can read it here .

Small-scale Farmers and Climate Change

It's becoming quite apparent that climate change is negatively affecting farmers around the world. Erratic weather patterns force farmers to find new ways of growing crops, but sometimes people who work the land are helpless in the face of droughts or excessive rains. When farmers are unable to adapt to changes in climate, local food shortages affect whole communities. A recent background paper by the Via Campesina summarizes how industrial-scale agriculture fuels climate change and thereby threatens small-scale farmers. But the paper also outlines how many farmers around the world are helping to slow climate change through the practice of sustainable grazing, the use of solar power, and other farm-based endeavors. You can read the background paper here.

Via Campesina Leader Honored

Henry Saragih, the Indonesian farmer who is the current executive secretary of Grassroots International's partner the Via Campesina, the international peasant movement, was named by The Guardian newspaper of London as one of the world's "50 People Who Could Save the Planet." The paper noted in its write-up that, in addition to his work with the Via Campesina, Saragih is the leader of a national union of Indonesian peasants who are fighting companies that strip vast areas of southeast Asia to grow palm oil for agrofuel. "How this struggle plays out in the next 20 years will determine whether there is any rainforest left intact in southeast Asia in 50 years' time," the newspaper wrote.

The Story of Stuff

Grassroots International is pleased to highlight "The Story of Stuff ," a newly-released, highly informative and entertaining Web video that documents the destructive impacts of consumerism and waste. The video features activist Annie Leonard taking viewers through the process of creating a consumer good - from the extraction of materials to the disposal. Check it out but beware: Your trash will never look the same.