BIOPACT: TOWARDS A GREEN ENERGY PACT BETWEEN EUROPE AND AFRICA

Brazil has historically had strong ties with both Africa and Europe. The Portuguese, who ruled Brazil between its discovery in 1500 and the country's independence in 1822, handed down to the Brazilians the language and the core of Brazil's cultural heritage; the Africans, brought as slaves en masse to Brazil until the mid-1800's, enriched Brazilian culture with their musicality and rhythm - which many credit with giving Brazilian soccer the "swing" that has made the country a five-time winner of the World Cup (the number, one hopes, will soon rise to six).

Both continents are hard at work in the discussion and development of biofuels. What has been good for Brazil because of the country's tropical climate can be equally good for Africa - and for Europe as well, which is working hard to develop a strong, mutually-beneficial economic relationship with many of its former colonies and with the continent as a whole.

Brazil has a special relationship with Portuguese-speaking African nations, such as Angola and Mozambique. It can certainly provide the technology and assistance needed to start an ethanol program in many other African nations as well, creating the basis for a large sugar cane crop around the world. Such an initiative would significantly strengthen the prospects for the development of a global ethanol market, by mitigating the risk inherent to having plantations restricted to a single country.

Brazil should work to strengthen ties with both Europe and Africa - a win-win relationship that can reduce global warming, promote business in Europe and Brazil, and help African economies that have all the qualifications to become significant players in the energy business.

Check out Biopact.com and discover how the biofuels business is changing both Europe and Africa - for the better.


Hear it from the horse's mouth - follow what's happening in the Brazilian ethanol market on Ethablog, the only blog in English dedicated to Brazilian ethanol.