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Bad for Brazil and the Earth: Natural ecosystems cleared by soybean farmers  (link)

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Keeping rainforests intact far better land use than soya plantations

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President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva President of Brazil Dear President Lula, I am gravely concerned with the threat posed to Amazon rainforests and communities by industrial soy plantations. Please excuse my impudence in forcefully yet respectfully speaking ecological truth to sovereign power, as I believe the Earth's ability to sustain life is at stake. Huge soy monocultures primarily for agrofuel and livestock feed are destroying tropical ecosystems, accelerating climate change and causing human rights abuses. Soybean production expands the Amazonian agricultural frontier not only through fire and deforestation to clear ancient rainforests, but more importantly by pushing cattle ranches, and displacing forest peoples, further into natural rainforest ecosystems. Soy production could destroy much of the Amazon which would increase the rate of global warming by fifty percent and foreclose eco-development options for its inhabitants. The current mechanized, monoculture based soya industry wipes out biodiversity, destroys soil fertility, pollutes freshwater and displaces communities. Further, soy production often disregards local peoples' rights including food sovereignty, exceeds the capacity of the local land base, and releases toxics. Agrofuel based biodiesel will never satisfy more than a fraction of global energy demand yet threatens the Planet’s remaining intact natural ecosystems and thus our shared atmospheric system. The latest science shows plant based biofuels are no climate change solution because they directly or indirectly, intentionally or not, result in land clearing releasing huge amounts of carbon dioxide. Clearing rainforests generally releases 86 times more carbon than the annual agrofuel benefit, and soybeans from the Amazon rainforest have a "carbon debt" of 319 years. Your government had trumpeted a fifty percent decline in Amazonian deforestation over past years. These decreases are now recognized as temporary declines in agricultural markets rather than fundamental change in deforestation rates. Given higher commodity prices followed closely by surging deforestation rates, I support your government's announcement of increased agricultural deforestation enforcement, including banning the sale of farm products from illegally deforested areas, and imposing fines for buying or trading illegally produced soy and beef, with military enforcement. Yet clearly the full political commitment, scale, pace and effectiveness of their implementation is inadequate, and must be intensified. Amazon rainforest sustainability depends critically upon all new soybean production being kept out of ancient primary rainforest ecosystems. Industrial soy monocultures in rainforests can never be environmentally sustainable, and indeed may push the Amazon into wide-scale die-back; the Earth's climate into abrupt, run-away global warming; and cause great suffering for your people as ecosystems collapse. Further, soy's environmental sustainability and social justness depends upon respecting rights of local peoples including their food sovereignty, ensuring local land bases and water resources are not exceeded, and ending the use of toxics. Please persist and strengthen your government's efforts to end soy production dependent upon rainforest destruction and industrial scaled monocultures. All soy industry participants must understand that soy products that damage the Amazon rainforest's biodiversity and climate will not be tolerated in the international marketplace. It is essential you renew calls upon funders such as the World Bank and European Union for avoided deforestation payments. Loss of Amazonian ecosystems will doom us all. Thank you for accepting the validity of this respectfully submitted expression of international concern, and for your willingness to accept Brazil's responsibility to protect the Amazon as a critical global ecosystem engine which makes the Earth habitable for us all. Together those participating in this protest seek to speak ecological truths, not confront or impede upon your sovereignty. One such truth is that a healthy, contiguous and fully intact Amazon is needed for Brazilian and global ecological sustainability. The world is watching and expecting great things from you, your government and nation in this regard. Sincerely,

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