Lula raps Europe campaign against Brazil biofuel - Reuters

Source: Reuters

Lula raps Europe campaign against Brazil biofuel
Mon Jul 9, 2007 10:36AM EDT

BRASILIA, July 9 (Reuters) - European competitors are trying to
undermine Brazil's biofuels production by raising environmental
concerns, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Monday

Brazil is the world's largest exporter of ethanol and also a
pioneer in developing biodiesel. It launched a program to fuel
cars with ethanol derived from sugar cane 30 years ago.

-snip-

Lula was asked about reports in European newspapers that said
biofuels could contribute to deforesting the Amazon. He spoke
at a biofuels conference in Brussels last week.

"I told them the Portuguese, who arrived in 1500, introduced
sugar cane 470 years ago and it didn't reach the Amazon for a
simple reason -- the temperature isn't suitable," Lula said on
the show Breakfast with the President.

-snip-

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSN09278632

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Last week: EU seeks biofuel imports, environment standards too - Reuters

Sugar cane can't be grown in the Amazon? OK, I'll accept that.

Sugar cane is replacing soy and other conventional crops in many parts of Brazil where it CAN be grown. To keep the production of those staples up, the rain forest is being cleared to make way for replacement farms for those goods.

If Lula was serious, he'd declare the rain forest one huge national park and impose prison sentences for clearcutting it (just like we do here in the USA). Sadly, he won't do that because he knows what the economic consequences would be.