Archive for April 6th, 2008
33 countries facing unrest as families go hungry
33 countries facing unrest as families go hungry
The UN secretary-general, Ban Ki-moon, has called for a comprehensive review of the policy on biofuels as a crisis in global food prices – partly caused by the increasing use of crops for energy generation – threatens to trigger global instability.
“We need to be concerned about the possibility of taking land or replacing arable land because of these biofuels,” Ban told the Guardian in Bucharest while attending this week’s Nato summit. But he added: “While I am very much conscious and aware of these problems, at the same time you need to constantly look at having creative sources of energy, including biofuels. Therefore, at this time, just criticising biofuel may not be a good solution. I would urge we need to address these issues in a comprehensive manner.”
Climate change has been a priority for Ban since he took over from Kofi Annan, and he has embraced the potential of biofuels, derived from plants, as a long-term substitute for fossil fuels. But as food prices have soared – driven by rising demand, high fuel costs, and climate change – the cultivation of biofuels has come under fire for diverting fertile land from food production.
Some of the loudest criticism has come from within UN food agencies, which are struggling to keep up with commodity prices. Last month the World Food Programme issued an emergency $500m appeal to donors to help it meet its existing commitments to the world’s hungry.
WFP officials say 33 countries in Asia and Africa face political instability as the urban poor struggle to feed their families.
There are also mounting concerns over the benefits of biofuels to the environment. They generally burn cleaner than fossil fuels, but fuels such as grain-based ethanol are energy-intensive to produce, and tropical rainforests have been cleared to produce palm oil for use as a fuel.
The role of biofuels is under review in Britain pending an inquiry into the indirect impact of their cultivation by the Renewable Fuels Agency.
Against this backdrop some senior UN officials are pushing for a change of policy, and attack Ban in private. “Ban is just out of touch,” one said. “He doesn’t know what is really going on in our agencies.”
The UN’s own special rapporteur on the right to food, Jean Ziegler, called biofuels “a crime against humanity”, and called for a five-year moratorium.
Ban rejected that proposal. “At this time I wouldn’t make any definitive judgment or definitive plans, in particular vis-à-vis these biofuels,” he said. “I know there are some concerns raised by certain quarters about biofuels. But biofuels are a renewable source of energy when we are experiencing extreme difficulties [with] resources.”
But Ban conceded that there was a food supply problem and said the primary Millenium Development Goal of halving global hunger by 2015 looked harder to reach than ever. “This steeply rising food price is a new phenomenon,” he said. “We have only seven years left to meet the target of 2015. This is very serious.”
He said he was overseeing a multi-agency investigation of the issue involving the UN Energy Programme, the UN Development Programme, the Department of Economic and Social Affairs and the World Food Programme. “They are all working on this issue,” the secretary-general said.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/apr/05/biofuels.food
Experts Predict Imminent Oil Squeeze
Experts Predict Imminent Oil Squeeze
London, Apr 3 (Prensa Latina) The oil price could hit $160 a barrel as soon as next week, says ´Zapata’ George Blake, the Texan oil analyst quoted by the London-based online newsletter Money Morning.
‘Zapata’ George has a habit of making bold calls that often seem to be proved right. He thinks there’s an imminent supply squeeze ahead, which will cause the oil price to spike.
But, first, Money Morning dispels a couple of common myths about oil. Number one, there is a belief that demand for oil will go down in a recession.
In the last 58 years, according to Worldwatch estimates (based on sources such as BP and the International Energy Agency), year-on-year demand for oil has grown every year, except for two brief periods.
Between 1973 and 1975, amidst a global energy crisis, global demand decreased annually by a whopping 0.01 percent. And between 1979 and 1984 consumption growth levelled, the biggest annual decrease being in 79-80 – down a devastating 0.04 percent.
Thus, demand for oil will not fall by any significant amount, even if the US goes into recession.
Oil myth number two is that increased production will meet demand.
Money Morning reminds those who affirm that, where are the discoveries that will lead to new production?
The last major oil frontiers were discovered as long ago as the late 1960s – the North Sea, the North Slopes of Alaska and Western Siberia.
Since then, there has been some reduction in the number of discoveries, but, more significantly, a huge reduction in their size. In the 1960s over 500 fields were discovered; in the 1970s, over 700; in the 1980s, 856; the 1990s, 510. But in this decade just 65 oil fields have been discovered.
Of the 65 largest oil producing countries in the world, up to 54 have passed their peak of production and are now in decline, including the USA in 1970/1, Indonesia in 1997, Australia in 2000, the North Sea in 2001, and Mexico in 2004.
‘Zapata’ George points out that the extreme cold spell in February in Alberta in Canada meant that the tar sands couldn’t be mined. One refinery in Edmonton had no oil to refine, while the larger Strathcona Refinery was running at significantly reduced rates due to ‘operational problems’.
He then mentions Australia, where there are currently gasoline shortages. BP and Shell have apologized, citing ‘constraints on imports’, leading to ‘unprecedented level of fuel shortages’. The four biggest oil refineries in Australia are not operational.
Meanwhile, Chinese oil demand went up by 6.5 percent in February, and their oil imports have risen by 18.1 percent. In brief, the Chinese are getting the oil, while Canada and Australia are going short.
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7b52F75A61-4FAB-4D67-9E6B-D1ECE6E456A0%7d&language=EN
Israel: Full-scale War-Drill on April 6-10, 2008 – Lebanon, Hezbollah on full alert
National Home Front Drill to be held on 8-10 April.
Israel Ministry of Public Security
A drill-siren will be heard across the country as part of a national home-front exercise at 10:00 am, Tuesday, April 8, 2008.
The siren will be part of a national drill taking place involving all of the national emergency services, the IDF Home-Front Command, the Israel Police, Magen David Adom, Israel Fire Department, government offices and local authorities.
Immediately after the drill-siren, a special home-front broadcast will be shown on channel 33 during which explanatory videos will be broadcasted guiding the general public on safeguard areas as well as special explanatory videos for children.
For the first time in Israel, the Israel National Emergency Agency (NEA) will conduct a large-scale home-front drill design to examine the country’s emergency preparedness during the state of emergency. The drill will take place between the 6th and the 10 of April, 2008.
The NEA was established in September 2007 in order to coordinate the work of all military and civilian bodies that are operational during a national state of emergency of natural disaster.
The nation-wide drill will simulate various emergency situations that can develop after a full scale war or natural disaster, and will include sounding a siren throughout the country, simulation of an attack by non-conventional rockets, receiving the injured in hospitals, dills in all educational institutes throughout Israel and forwarding warnings and instructions to the general public via mass media.
http://www.mops.gov.il/BPEng/MOPS+News/HomeFrontDrill_3_4_08.htm
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Lebanon, Hezbollah on full alert
Press TV Sat, 05 Apr 2008 18:05:35 Lebanon’s army and resistance movement of Hezbollah are on high alert in southern Lebanon to be ready for any Israeli hostile moves.
The Lebanese army Commander Michel Suleiman put all military units in southern Lebanon on full alert, Lebanese daily as-Safir reported.
“Suleiman ordered the army to be ready to prevent any possible violation of the Lebanese coastal waters and targeting civilians by the Israeli army,” the paper quoted informed sources speaking on condition of anonymity.
The country went on full alert on Saturday a day before the Israeli regime is to begin what it called large-scale military defense exercises featuring scenarios in which chemical and biological missiles may hit populated areas.
Hezbollah has also said the group will ‘vigilantly follow’ the Israeli military exercises.
The regime’s military drills are out of ‘ frustration and despair’ following its humiliating defeat against the resistance and the Lebanese nation, said Sheikh Nabil Kaouk the group’s commander in south Lebanon.
In Damascus and referring to Israel’s military exercises, the Syrian Foreign Minster said on Thursday that Syria must be on high alert to defend the country against any Israeli hostility.
“Syria is ready to defend itself against any (Israeli) aggressiveness,” Walid Muallem said.
