U.N.: rising food prices are "mass murder"

[Mr. Authority]

Food price rises are "mass murder": U.N. envoy
Sun Apr 20, 2008 1:28pm EDT

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VIENNA (Reuters) - Global food price rises are leading to "silent mass murder" and commodities markets have brought "horror" to the world, the United Nations' food envoy told an Austrian newspaper on Sunday.

Jean Ziegler, UN special rapporteur on the right to food, told Kurier am Sonntag that growth in biofuels, speculation on commodities markets and European Union export subsidies mean the West is responsible for mass starvation in poorer countries.

Ziegler said he was bound to highlight the "madness" of people who think that hunger is down to fate.

"Hunger has not been down to fate for a long time -- just as (Karl) Marx thought. It is rather that a murder is behind every victim. This is silent mass murder," he said in an interview.

Ziegler blamed globalization for "monopolizing the riches of the earth" and said multinationals were responsible for a type of "structural violence".

"And we have a herd of market traders, speculators and financial bandits who have turned wild and constructed a world of inequality and horror. We have to put a stop to this," he said.

Ziegler said he believed that one day starving people could rise up against their persecutors. "It's just as possible as the French Revolution was," he said.

(Reporting by Sylvia Westall; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Food price rises are mass murder: U.N. envoy | Reuters

[sputnik]

i've met jean ziegler and as colourful and eccentric as he is, he also makes a lot of sense. well, most of the time. and in this case, he's right.
he was also one of the first to speak out against bio-fuels which are NOT the magic alternative to oil, as a lot of people seem to think. they are destructive to the environment and use foodstuffs that hungry people could use to eat.
i hear brazil is developing ways to make bio-fuel out of agricultural waste, but that's still years away.

[A*O]

You have to stop at pause when people start to whine that basic foods are suddenly 'so expensive' (define basic foods) when there are people who would give anything for an affordable and reliable source of basics like rice, milk or corn.

[SVZ]

Bio-fuel is and always has been a bad idea.

[tkdgirl]

You have to stop at pause when people start to whine that basic foods are suddenly 'so expensive' (define basic foods) when there are people who would give anything for an affordable and reliable source of basics like rice, milk or corn.

But ethanol is already sapping the corn market. In the race for alternative fuel, we may eliminate a global source of food.

[MohandasKGanja]

The diversion of a large percentage of what have been traditionally staple food crops to biofuel is becoming a disaster of epic proportions. It's not only not saving money, but it is killing people faster than global warming would.


They need to phase out corn ethanol subsidies as soon as possible.

[ana-mish-ana]

I read that there are better alternatives for biofuels such as hemp and algae- I could never understand the idea of actually diverting food crops for biofuels especially due to these problems.

[MohandasKGanja]

I've heard about those (I bet Woody Harrelson is promoting the hemp one).

However, one of the best is the still-experimental cellulosic ethanol. Originally, the plan was to use switchgrass as the plant to cultivate. It requires less water and has much more energy per acre than corn. Not to mention, doesn't divert food supply.

Now, however, they are already starting refineries based on waste pulp products like sawdust. There's a company building a plant in Georgia, next to a paper mill (Archer Daniels?) to get the first facility going.

[Fluffy]

However, one of the best is the still-experimental cellulosic ethanol. Originally, the plan was to use switchgrass as the plant to cultivate. It requires less water and has much more energy per acre than corn. Not to mention, doesn't divert food supply.

The company I work for is working on the switchgrass option.

If anything, we need to completely reevaluate how we use energy. Something like 70% of all oil usage is for transportation. We ship food all over the world just so modern supermarkets can carry apples, oranges and bananas year round as if they were always in season.

[SVZ]

we have cars that run on compressed air now as well!