Sugarcane ethanol: Contributions to climate change - BAFF

Chapter 9
Impacts of sugarcane bioethanol towards the Millennium
Development Goals
Annie Dufey
1. Introduction
At the Millennium Summit in September 2000 the largest gathering of world leaders in
history adopted the United Nations Millennium Declaration. �ey committed to a new
global partnership to reduce extreme poverty by 2015 in line with a series of targets that
have become known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). �e MDGs are cra�ed
around eight themes to promote sustainable development addressing extreme poverty in its
di�erent dimensions including hunger, health, education, the promotion of gender quality
and environmental sustainability (see Box 1).
At the same time, during the last �ve years or so, the world has witnessed the global emergence
of a new sector – the biofuels sector. Biofuels potential for achieving simultaneously
economic, poverty reduction and environmental goals have combined and placed biofuels
at the top of today’s most pressing policy agendas.
�is chapter argues that sugarcane bioethanol can be supportive of sustainable development
and poverty reduction, thus contributing to the achievement of the MDGs. In some
contexts there might be synergies between the pursue of di�erent goals but there may be
Box 1. The Millennium Development Goals.
The eight Millennium Development Goals were agreed at the United Nations Millennium Summit
in September 2000. The eight Millennium Development Goals are:
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Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
Achieve universal primary education
Promote gender equality and empower women
Reduce child mortality
Improve maternal health
Combat HIV and AIDS, malaria and other diseases
Ensure environmental sustainability
Develop a global partnership for development
Source: http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/
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