[Shannon]

Last night I watched Anderson Cooper's show. It had a long segment on Brazil and said when the gas shortages hit in 1975 (yes, over 30 years ago) Brazil started putting money & research into alternative fuel. Today their cars run mainly on ethanol and by year Brazil will be "energy independent". I was amazed.

[Shannon]

Correction:
They said by next year they'll be energy independent.

[Roccus]

Did Cooper disclose his holdings in Archer Daniels Midland?

[randita]

I was just reading about Brazil's ethanol program. First of all, its start up was almost entirely government funded (multi-billions of $$$) -- including huge subsidies to sugar producers - which continue. Which leads to the second point. Ethanol made from sugar is 30% cheaper to produce than that made from corn. We do not have a sugar industry in the U.S. anymore so sugar would have to be imported. Brazil has the perfect climate for growing sugar. Or we'd have to use corn entirely, which would make the price more expensive.

Lastly, cars will not operate in cold climates with gas containing more than 10% ethanol. This is the one real problem as a large majority of U.S. citizens live in climates which remain cold for half the year.

Sometimes reports only tell you the positive points and you have to go looking for the rest of the info.

Not that this might be a partial solution to our energy problems, but it is not a cure all and gas with ethanol will be more expensive than what we are paying now.

[verity]

Regardless of the nay sayers, alternative fuels are the future.[IMHO]

The transition phase, however, is going to irritate a lot of people which will unfortunately invite unwelcomed political interference.

[econjack]

It had a long segment on Brazil and said when the gas shortages hit in 1975 (yes, over 30 years ago) Brazil started putting money & research into alternative fuel.

Don't some of you remember the shortages here in the early 70's caused (mainly) by wage and price controls? As part of the solution, the "brains" in Washington levied an "alternative fuel tax" on every gallon of gas sold, the funds from which were to be used by the gov't to develop alternative fuels. I believe the tax is still being collected, but I haven't seen anything on how that money was spent. (I'm pretty certain that ethanol was not developed under the program.)

[thackney]

Today their cars run mainly on ethanol and by year Brazil will be "energy independent". I was amazed.

Please read this report from a couple months ago.

Brazil Sugar Ethanol Update – February 2006, USDA Foreign Agricultural Service"

It reports that ethanol accounts for approximately 15% of the fuel used in Brazil. A higher percentage if you only consider passenger cars.

What Brazil has done that made the biggest difference in the last decade was start producing much more of its petroleum resources. If you will look at the following link, you will see how they quit needing foreign oil.

International Petroleum (Oil) Production Tables

[headstamp]

We are and always will be a crisis driven society. When it gets EXTREMELY bad, then we'll start doing something about the situation. Not one minute before.