WECF Position Paper on Energy
„Energy from biomass in the sense of sustainable rural development“ of the international Workshop of the Networks WECF und UNSER LAND.
07.04.2006 |WECF Press Release
Download the press release.
„The exploitation underground“ from today, must not become the exploitation „over-ground„ from tomorrow“, that’s one of the main statements in the discussion about the development of alternative sources of energy.
50 partners and experts from altogether 7 nations, participated in an international and intercultural exchange of experiences, to which the networks WECF – Women in Europe for a Common Future - and UNSER LAND had ted, intohe house of agriculture in Fürstenfeldbruck/Munich. In the centre of the interest stood not only the discussion about the role of the woman in the rural development, but above all although the “chances and risks“ of alternative sources of energy for rural areas.
With numerous examples from practise, not only the already achieved progresses were explained, but also the most frequent difficulties and current emerging risks, referring to the use and development of regional, sustainable sources of energy.
On the one side, there are good experiences with mixed crops, where oilseeds are sowed together with corn or pulse. Whereby one can produce energy very cheap and en-vironmental friendly. On the other side, there are often very inconsistent „red tape“ diffi-culties and legal instructions, which hinder such engagement. So a regional brewery was punished, because, according to EU, the used oilseeds are not allowed to be sowed together with brew-barley, but as well as food oils separate.
For WECF it’s out of question, that, e.g. the use of biomass fuels could only be climate and environmental neutral, if it could be ensured, that there production and transport, es-pecially over large distances, do not need more fossil energy for agro-chemicals and fuel, than it’s substituted by alternative fuels. That’s why, ecological cultivation an regional using must be supported.
Mrs. Seiltz, chairwoman of the network UNSER LAND, as well regards sustainable culti-vation of energy plants as absolutely necessary, but also is aware of the high need of re-search achieving the missing economic efficiency – in particular if using the strong eco-logical agriculture regulations. A recently organised intern expert meeting on this issue also confirmed this facts. She strongly recommends not only a change of view, achieving our consorting with here developed future technologies and the coming (sustainable) cooperation with the so called “Developing countries”. She primarily bet on intelligent consorting with energy, just as on fair – regional and international partnerships. For here also very important is the incorporation of a broad active civil society, which make a stand for the energy change.
All participants of this meeting agreed not least in the fact, that the further development and use of „renewable energy“ has to be sustainable in any case and even now has to be covered on adequate criterions. Otherwise we run the risk of supporting the same monopolistic, undemocratic structures, with the same harmful social, ecological AND economical effects, like we had, when using fossil energies.
As the discussion about rural development already showed, women can (and want to!) play a central role too, supporting renewable energies and sustainable supplying struc-tures. They engage themselves and are interested in various issues. That’s why they un-timely should be motivated and, concerning their special needs, enabled, to take part on all levels, in the further developments of regional, national and international energy strategies.
