Massacres and Paramilitary Land Seizures Behind the Biofuel Revolution

As oil prices increase and the world’s demand for alternative fuel sources grow, Colombian farmers struggle to control their own land. Collaborating with some palm-oil corporate interests, right-wing paramilitary groups drive farmers from their homes at gunpoint and take over the land for plantations. Palm oil, used for biofuel production, is a lucrative business, and unlike another source of income in Colombia, coca, is a legal crop. Meanwhile, despite funding from the US for enforcement, coca production surges. The demand from wealthy nations for cocaine and energy products forces farmers to flee their lands and leads to a severe refugee crisis in Colombia, the world’s third largest after Darfur and the Congo. – YaleGlobal