MASSIVE production of biofuels is "a crime against humanity" because of its impact on global food prices, the UN says.
"Producing biofuels today is a crime against humanity," UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food Jean Ziegler told Bayerischer Runfunk radio.
Using arable land to produce crops for biofuels has reduced surfaces available to grow food, many observers warn.
Perhaps "crime against humanity" is a little strong. But then again, maybe not:
In recent months, rising food costs have sparked violent protests in Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Haiti, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, Madagascar, Mauritania, the Philippines and other countries.
In Pakistan and Thailand, army troops have been deployed to avoid the seizure of food from fields and warehouses, while price increases fuelled a general strike in Burkina Faso.
UPDATE: This makes me uneasy. Can it be that the U.N. is getting this right, after all their wrong-headed moves? (Putting Syria and Libya on the Human Rights Commission comes to mind, as does the huge Oil-For-Food scandal.) It just makes me uncomfortable to think that I might agree with any U.N. pronouncements....
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