Maddie Smith: Human Rights, Biofuels, and the Implementation of the Paris Agreement

COP22 in Marrakech is all about moving towards implementation of the Paris Agreement that was passed at COP21 last year, and officially entered force on November 4, 2016. At the first two days of my time at COP22 I attended several events centered on the “how” of the implementation of this agreement and potential problems various NGOs and governments saw in regards to transitioning the world to more sustainable energy, cutting emissions, and weaning ourselves off of fossil fuels. The point all of the panelists repeated was that it is essential that we do this in a way that doesn’t leave anyone behind.

It was considered a major victory last year when human rights language was included in the preamble of the Paris Agreement. It states “that climate change is a common concern of humankind, Parties should, when taking action to address climate change, respect, promote and consider their respective obligations on human rights, the right to health, the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities, migrants, children, persons with disabilities and people in vulnerable situations and the right to development, as well as gender equality, empowerment of women and intergenerational equity…”

It is essential that the Paris Agreement is implemented in a way that recognizes different countries are disproportionately affected by climate change, recognizes and values the concerns and sovereignty of indigenous peoples, includes sustainable development that doesn’t come with externalities,  and is gender-just and doesn’t impose extra burdens on women.  
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I wanted to share an example of a climate solution featured in a panel I went to that is often heavily touted, but does not promote climate justice and in fact violates many human rights. The truth is that biofuels are not a viable solution to our energy and climate problems. When you fill up on E10 at the pump, do you really know what is going on? We need to consider several important facts:  

http://thisisafrica.me/land-grabbing-africa-new-colonialism/

1. Land used to grow biomass for biofuels cannot be used to grow food. As world population increases, food security of vulnerable communities will decrease because there is not enough land to feed everyone.
2. As mandates for ethanol percentages in European fuel have increased, more land in developing countries outside of Europe has been seized to grow biofuel crops. Unlike the US, Europe doesn’t have large amounts of cropland devoted to growing for biofuel production. This has resulted in “land grabs” in many parts of Africa. A “land grab” refers to the purchase or acquisition of large amounts of land by an entity, in this case, for the purpose of growing biofuel crops. This is an example of imperialism of foreign interests on developing countries.
3. Land grabs rob communities (often indigenous) of land essential to their food security and identity. Kilmaren Ole Riamit, a panelist from Kenya representing the International Indigenous People’s Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) left us with this thought: “Land grabs are not just a loss of property, but a loss of identity.”

The case of biofuels can be juxtaposed with the current widespread social opposition to the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock, North Dakota. Both involve the taking of land from Indigenous Peoples. It is easy for us to hate DAPL because of the obvious and well documented problems of environmental contamination from oil pipelines, especially on sacred Native American land in a time where there is increased urgency to transition away from fossil fuels.  It is more difficult for us to see the effects of land grabs halfway around the world when the idea of biofuel has been sold to us as a sustainable fuel, with a feel-good connotation for consumers.
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If biofuels are so problematic, then why do we still think of them as a green solution? Biofuels are a great example of a scientific solution to the energy crisis that simply fails to consider the very real and harmful impacts on people in developing nations around the world.  We need solutions that value human dignity and do not negatively impact already disadvantaged populations. As the implementation of the Paris Agreement moves forward it will be essential for all parties to consider and develop climate solutions that are truly just. 

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