One of the challenges for Brazil in the 21st century is to become the main energy power of the world, according to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated.
In an address at the opening of the Brasil Ecodiesel biodiesel mill in the city of Crateús, in the northeastern Brazilian state of Ceará, he said: "Nobody has our conditions. There may even be countries that are larger than ours, but they have snow, hurricanes, typhoons and earthquakes. There are many things there. Not here. Here we lack a little rain, but we are going to work on the transposition of the São Francisco river."
According to Lula, reaching the objective of becoming an energy power is exclusively in the hands of Brazil. "The world is going to have to understand that Brazil is unbeatable in the production of renewable energy. And production does not depend on the world, it depends on us," he said.
The president pointed out, however, that despite biodiesel being "our great hope", Brazil still faces great resistance from the countries called first world.
"Because all that they make is good. What we make, cannot be. In Germany there is already a lorry using 100% biodiesel. In France there is too, but their industries here say that they only want to use 2%, 3%, 4%," he said.
Lula criticized the United States biodiesel production as they, according to him, spend a fortune in maize alcohol: "I believe that it is a waste to spend on maize to produce alcohol, when it may be made from sugarcane, in which Central America, Africa and Brazil are unbeatable."
He also discussed the need for the world to issue less polluting gas, once again criticizing the United States for not having signed the Kyoto Protocol. "A country like the United States, which is the main polluter on the planet, did not want to sign the Kyoto protocol and continues polluting," he said.
According to the president, "we are not yet considered a first world country due to our economic development, but due to our engagement with humanity, Brazil owes nothing to anybody."
ABr