THE TRUTH ABOUT ETHANOL: THE BIOFUEL OF THE FUTURE

( translated from the original article of Oliviero Pluviano; special envoy/reporter in the Amazon for the Italian Press Agency ANSA )  

Latin American Rainforests are threatened by “ethanol”, the biofuel of the future. Extracted from the sugarcane, ethanol is going through a “golden age” in modern Brasil. The ethanol golden age also re dubbed the “green boom” is causing a slow and painful death of the Amazon Rainforest. The uncontrolled huge expansion of sugarcane plantations has now reached and penetrated the largest “green lung” in the world.
Brasil is the largest ethanol producer in the world. Sugarcane plantations originated in the Sao Paulo State, Minas Gerais and the North East ( Bahia and Pernambuco ) and have now expanded to the Central Region of Brasil ( Goias and Mato Grosso do Sul ) and are spreading to the heart of the Amazon. Brasil is very proud of their dual fuel powered car engines that can operate either on gasoline or ethanol. All the major plantations of coffee, oranges etc. that diversified the environment of the Sao Paulo state have now disappeared. Sugarcane has become the “way of life” for million of people and like a cancer, keeps spreading towards each corner of Brasil. “Canaviais” (sugarcane plantations) have appeared from nowhere and will produce by the end of 2008 over 3 million tons of sugarcane.
At the borders with Venezuela, the Amazon region of Roraima plans to exploit its natural “savannas” area with sugarcane plantations. Sugarcane and Soya are also invading the Para’ region towards Belem, the Brazilian port on the estuary of the Amazon river. In President Figueiredo, a town 100 km north of the Amazon Capital Manaus, “Jayoro” is already the largest Agro-Company in the Amazon. The company has commercial agreement since 1996 with Coca Cola and it’s increasing its production of Guarana’, a local fruit used to produce one of the most popular Brazilian drinks. But to produce ethanol it’s expanding the 4000 hectares, up to now dedicated to sugarcane for guarana’ based drinks, in the Manaus Coca Cola plant. In 2008 it will produce over 7 million litres of bio fuel. It’s an “open war” in Brazil between the Agriculture Ministry Reinhard Stephanes and the Environment Ministry, Marina Silva. The daughter of “seringueiros” ( rubber tappers ) from the Acre region. One by approving the sugarcane production in the Amazon, the other not even wanting to know about it. An executive decision is expected in summer 2008 but there strong indications that the government of President Lula is intended to “liberalize” agro-industrial projects in the Amazon region. The only obstacle that for now “contains” the full spreading of sugarcane into the Amazon is the climate. In the Sao Paulo State each hectar produces 110 tons of sugarcane whilst in the Amazon it produces only 80 tons. Out of each ton in the Amazon only 90 kg of sugar can be produced whilst in the Sao Paulo up to 135 kg can be extracted.
But does not matter; the “ethanol rush” and the obsession to start new sugarcane plantations has caught every producer in Brazil. Amazon included. ( ANSA Italy )