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Carmen G. Gonzalez

Biofuels

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Full-Text Articles in Human Rights Law

An Environmental Justice Critique Of Biofuels, Carmen G. Gonzalez Oct 2018

An Environmental Justice Critique Of Biofuels, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez


This chapter examines the global environmental justice and energy justice implications of the laws and policies of the United States and the European Union that promote the production and consumption of biofuels. Replacing fossil fuels with biofuels derived from renewable organic matter has been advocated as a means of mitigating climate change, achieving energy security, and fostering economic development in the countries that cultivate the crops used as biofuel feedstocks.  Regrettably, the growing demand for biofuels in the Global North has produced significant harm in the Global South—ravaging local ecosystems, depressing food production, and depriving vulnerable communities of access to …

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The Environmental Justice Implications Of Biofuels, Carmen G. Gonzalez Dec 2015

The Environmental Justice Implications Of Biofuels, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez


Analyses of the viability of biofuels as alternatives to fossil fuels have

often adopted a technocratic approach that focuses on environmental

consequences, but places less emphasis on the impact that biofuels may have

on vulnerable populations. This Article fills the gap in the existing literature

by evaluating biofuels through the lens of environmental justice – including

climate justice and food justice. The Article examines the impact of biofuels

on the global food system and on the planet’s most food-insecure

populations. It concludes that the laws and policies promoting the

cultivation of biofuels have contributed to global malnourishment by raising

food …

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International Environmental Law And The Global South, Carmen G. Gonzalez Aug 2015

International Environmental Law And The Global South, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

The unprecedented degradation of the planet’s vital ecosystems is among the most pressing issues confronting the international community. Despite the proliferation of legal instruments to combat environmental problems, conflicts between rich and poor nations (the North-South divide) have compromised the effectiveness of international environmental law, leading to deadlocks in environmental treaty negotiations and non-compliance with existing agreements. Through contributions from scholars based in five continents, International Environmental Law and the Global South examines both the historical origins of the North-South divide in European colonialism as well as its contemporary manifestations in a range of issues, including food justice, energy justice, …

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International Economic Law And The Right To Food, Carmen G. Gonzalez Dec 2013

International Economic Law And The Right To Food, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

This chapter examines the historic and current policies and practices that have contributed to food insecurity in the global South. It analyzes the impact of international economic law on the patterns of trade and production that perpetuate food insecurity, and recommends concrete measures that the international community might take through law and regulation to promote the fundamental human right to food. Part I provides a short introduction to the right to food framework and its implications for international trade, investment, and finance. Part II places the current food crisis in historical perspective by discussing the trade and aid policies that …

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The Global Food System, Environmental Protection, And Human Rights, Carmen G. Gonzalez Dec 2011

The Global Food System, Environmental Protection, And Human Rights, Carmen G. Gonzalez

Carmen G. Gonzalez

The global food system is exceeding ecological limits while failing to meet the nutritional needs of a large segment of the world’s population. While law could play an important role in facilitating the transition to a more just and ecologically sustainable food system, the current legal framework fails to regulate food and agriculture in an integrated manner. The international legal framework governing food and agriculture is fragmented into three self-contained regimes that have historically operated in isolation from one another: international human rights law, international environmental law, and international trade law. International trade law has taken precedence over human rights …

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