ID :
10034
Sun, 06/15/2008 - 15:56
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/10034
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G-8 CALLS FOR DEVELOPMENT OF NEW BIOFUELS FRO NONFOOD MATERIALS
OSAKA, June 16 (Kyodo) - Group of Eight finance ministers on Saturday called for the development of new biofuels from nonfood materials as part of efforts to secure alternative energy
sources while coping with soaring food prices.
''As biofuels pose challenges and opportunities, it is essential to secure the stability of their production and use,'' the G-8 ministers said in a statement issued after their two-day meeting in Osaka.
''In this light, research and development of the second-generation production methods from nonfood materials should be a priority,'' they added.
Japan has been pushing for the development of so-called second-generation biofuels made from nonfood sources such as grasses in the belief that conventional biofuels, made from corn, sugar cane and other foodstuffs, have contributed to soaring food prices.
The references to biofuels in the G-8 statement are clear-cut, compared with ambiguous expressions in a declaration released after a three-day summit on food held in Rome earlier this month.
At the food summit, sponsored by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, participating countries only agreed on the need for ''in-depth studies'' and ''international dialogue'' on the proposed control of biofuel production.
The explicit reference to the need for development of biofuel from nonfood materials in the finance ministers' statement suggests that G-8 leaders may have a heated debate on the matter when they meet for a summit in Hokkaido next month, observers said.
The G-8 financial chiefs also stressed, ''It is imperative to remove supply-side constraints and export restrictions, replace general food subsidies in developing countries.''
Some food-producing countries have introduced export-control measures amid surging global food prices to prioritize domestic supply. Japan, the United States and some other countries have urged such export controls to be lifted or curbed.
The G-8 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
sources while coping with soaring food prices.
''As biofuels pose challenges and opportunities, it is essential to secure the stability of their production and use,'' the G-8 ministers said in a statement issued after their two-day meeting in Osaka.
''In this light, research and development of the second-generation production methods from nonfood materials should be a priority,'' they added.
Japan has been pushing for the development of so-called second-generation biofuels made from nonfood sources such as grasses in the belief that conventional biofuels, made from corn, sugar cane and other foodstuffs, have contributed to soaring food prices.
The references to biofuels in the G-8 statement are clear-cut, compared with ambiguous expressions in a declaration released after a three-day summit on food held in Rome earlier this month.
At the food summit, sponsored by the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, participating countries only agreed on the need for ''in-depth studies'' and ''international dialogue'' on the proposed control of biofuel production.
The explicit reference to the need for development of biofuel from nonfood materials in the finance ministers' statement suggests that G-8 leaders may have a heated debate on the matter when they meet for a summit in Hokkaido next month, observers said.
The G-8 financial chiefs also stressed, ''It is imperative to remove supply-side constraints and export restrictions, replace general food subsidies in developing countries.''
Some food-producing countries have introduced export-control measures amid surging global food prices to prioritize domestic supply. Japan, the United States and some other countries have urged such export controls to be lifted or curbed.
The G-8 groups Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States.
