Climate change — and the push for biofuels — will create a billion refugees, says Christian Aid

A report just released by Christian Aid says that global warming will displace 1 billion people by 2050, and rich countries that are principally creating the problem should pay for the adaptation of these potential refugees.

Part of the problem, the report says, is that many peasant farmers are being displaced because of the production of biofuel crops, such as palm oil. The report states:

As the pressure to cut CO2 emissions in rich countries grows, a solution is being sought by substituting biofuels for oil — particularly by the US government — as a way to keep cars and trucks running. The problem is that the potential bonanza for biofuel producers will require vast tracts of land for plantations, leading to the forced ejection of yet more peasant farmers.

CEI’s report “Biofuels, Food, or Wildlife? The Massive Land Costs of U.S. Ethanol,” published September 2006, had warned of the massive land areas required to produce the biofuels that governments are mandating to replace fossil fuel.