A coalition of NGOs has mobilized today in five European capitals - Paris, Berlin, Madrid, Rome and Brussels - to ask the European Union to put an end to subsidies for palm oil being used in fuels.
In Paris, 75 people gathered in front of the European Commission's representation. Activists from ANV COP21, Canopée, Friends of the Earth, One Voice, SumOfUs and Greenpeace, have installed a "rainforest", with fake oil palms and people dressed as orangutans. The leaders of the associations were even received in Paris inside of the premises of the Commission, right in front of the National Assembly. During the interview, it was confirmed to them that the message would be brought to the European level.
The protesters also handed over to the European Commission petitions from a dozen European organizations - including Canopée, Friends of the Earth and SumOfUs - having collected more than 500,000 signatures calling for the end of European subsidies for palm oil in fuels.
Last May, the European Parliament passed a law to end the incorporation of raw materials into fuels that are "high risk" for the climate, such as palm oil. This law proposes to cap and then eliminate controversial products and asks fuel distributors for more transparency. The European Commission must ratify that this will be a delegated act, expected by the 1st February.
In France, agrofuels are responsible for 75% of the palm oil consumed. According to NGOs, these "biofuels" are in fact three times more harmful to the climate than conventional fuels because of the deforestation they cause. Oil palm plantations are ravaging the world's last primary tropical forests and the precious biodiversity they harbour.
For Muriel Arnal, founding president of One Voice, "The fact that biofuels can contain palm oil is unthinkable at so many levels ... First of all, for orangutans who are dying from the disappearance of their habitat and to add to the absurdity of this situation, it’s all for ecological pretences! How can one dare to turn a blind eye? "
For Sylvain Angerand, president of Canopée Forêts Vivantes and spokesperson of the federation of Friends of the Earth France for this campaign: “The National Assembly has removed the tax advantage allowing the incorporation of palm oil into fuels, but Total, owner of the biorefinery in La Mède, has announced that it wants to call into question the vote of the deputies by asking to be made exempt tax duties. If the Commission does not settle this clearly and allows an exception here, it is certain that Total will rush to abuse this loophole”.
"The European Union has been under pressure from lobbies for years to support the use of palm oil in fuels, and has managed to move this industry from destruction to an ecological alternative," said Fatah Sadaoui , campaign manager at SumOfUs. "Yet, hundreds of thousands of people have mobilized to say to the EU: we do not want to be complicit in the destruction of tropical forests, so we do not want more palm oil in our fuel tanks. The European Commission must act as quickly as possible to save the last orangutans, the tropical forests and the communities that live and depend on them. "
Clément Sénéchal, Greenpeace France's Forests and Climate campaigner, says: "The production of agrofuels in palm oil is ravaging forests, while they are one of the best protections against climate change. It is urgent to end this false solution. We are counting on the European Commission today to hear the expectations of citizens and to resist the calls from the multinationals, such as Total, who favour their destructive profits. "
Additional Information
Pictures:
Please find photos of the
event here: https: //www.flickr.com/photos/ ...
Petitions:
https: //actions.sumofus.org/a/ ...
https: //www.act.transportenvir...
SumOfUs is a global group of consumers, workers and investors campaigning for corporate accountability. More than 14 million people have led more than 50 million shares worldwide with SumOfUs since its launch. www.sumofus.org/fr
One Voice is a radical association (taking the issues at the source), they have been advocating for animals since 1995. Active on all fronts of animal suffering in France and around the world, the association fights against the exploitation of animals in circuses, dolphinariums and laboratories, from fashion to hunting etc. It fights against strays and works in consultation with the authorities to obtain exemplary sentences of torturers of animals and place their victims into safety. Nonviolent, One Voice believes in the uniqueness of fighting and wants to be the same voice for animals and the planet. As animal, human and environmental issues are closely linked, only a global approach will provide a world living in peace for future generations! www.one-voice.fr
Greenpeace is an international network of independent organizations that act on the principles of non-violence to protect the environment, biodiversity and promote peace. It is based on a movement of committed citizens to build a sustainable and equitable world. www.greenpeace.fr
