Ethanol could leave the world hungry

Cnn.com ^ | 8-16-06 | Lester Brown

[Hydroshock]

The growing myth that corn is a cure-all for our energy woes is leading us toward a potentially dangerous global fight for food. While crop-based ethanol -the latest craze in alternative energy - promises a guilt-free way to keep our gas tanks full, the reality is that overuse of our agricultural resources could have consequences even more drastic than, say, being deprived of our SUVs. It could leave much of the world hungry.

We are facing an epic competition between the 800 million motorists who want to protect their mobility and the two billion poorest people in the world who simply want to survive. In effect, supermarkets and service stations are now competing for the same resources.

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This year cars, not people, will claim most of the increase in world grain consumption. The problem is simple: It takes a whole lot of agricultural produce to create a modest amount of automotive fuel.

The grain required to fill a 25-gallon SUV gas tank with ethanol, for instance, could feed one person for a year. If today's entire U.S. grain harvest were converted into fuel for cars, it would still satisfy less than one-sixth of U.S. demand.

[P-40]

So instead you want to send even more to them.

No, I prefer to send as little as possible.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Where do you farm ?

[thackney]

The military cost is not because of oil.

Saudi Arabia.

Same question back to you. If we became energy independent, how many aircraft carriers would we sell? How many tanks? How many divisions would we disband?

[antiRepublicrat]

Which is how we ended up with gasoline as the choice for motor fuel.

We also have the fact that only recently do we have reliale engines that can really take advantage of ethanol's very high octane and built-in oxygen.

[RedMonqey]

"Like I said before, you people will just have to suck it up and cope because the plants are being built all across the country as I write this and none of your arguments seem to be stopping them."


And that is your best argument? People and governments spending good money after bad?

I bet you also invested in "cold fusion" back in the eighties?

[TChris]

Is there someone with a good grasp of economics who can explain the reasoning behind agricultural subsidies?

Knowing as we do, from plentiful experience, that governmental manipulation of markets always makes things worse, what is the reasoning behind this welfare? Is it simply the political points gained, or is there some economic reasoning behind giving billions of dollars away to farmers?

[o_zarkman44]

90% of the research dispells Pimental's biased, 10 year old study. It may be popular for the Sierra Club mentality you represent, but worthless trash to the rest of theeducated world.

[P-40]

a world that needs food more than fuel

The world needs stability more than anything. With stability, you get food and fuel.

[betsyross1776]

What I live in the farm regions. Most of our farmers can tell you they are paid to not plant half their land . They would tell you, they want imports into the country . Where have you been, open you eyes when you drive through the farm lands of America how much of it is not planted. You must have grown up in a city area. I did not. As far as stating that if we became energy independent of foreign oil the middle east would not be angry and lose a lot of money prove to me it is not true. The oil companies lobbied our pres before Clinton and Bush 41 to drop all the energy ideas we had in the 70s. Look I can't stand Jimmy Carter but he was right about solar and gas made from corn. Oh yea , you want facts since at this time of the year I visit the farmers I know personally, for a lot of produce, ever hear of the stove that burns all day on a small bag of corn. Yes you want facts well there is one out there,and the dealer told me they are so back ordered they cannot keep them in stock. You want facts , go visit the farmer's, or better still call you congressman and ask him if I am right.

[cripplecreek]

You're the genius that keeps saying "grain" to avoid getting an inadvertant look at reality.

If you don't like it, start your own drilling company and compete.

[xjcsa]

Here in Iowa, the largest corn producer in the country, irrigation is -not- widely used for growing corn. The same is true in Illinois, the second-largest producer; it's just not necessary. The water used in production is not an issue; it's not like the water is destroyed.

[P-40]

Same question back to you.

It would depend on just how independent we become, would it not? If you were to subtract what is paid to protect our non-domestic energy interests from the national budget, even adjusting for the loss of sales revenue from equipment sold...you are talking billions.

[betsyross1776]

Why, because we pay our farmers not to plant. Ask the farmers if they can do it . I did!

[P-40]

Is there someone with a good grasp of economics who can explain the reasoning behind agricultural subsidies?

In large part, you would need a good grasp of politics to understand the issue...not economics. The government don't do economics. :)

[thackney]

I don't agree. I don't see the military cost going down at all. We did not go to Afghanistan because of oil. Or Somalia, or Kosovo, or Vietnam, or Korea. I believe if we were not in Iraq now, we would probably be in North Korea. I think we can and should be 100% energy independent, at least cut down to supplies from North America. It would not take new technology or great changes. It would only take the will to produce our own resources. We now import more uranium than we produce. We have let environmentalists and democrats strangle this country.

[P-40]

ever hear of the stove that burns all day on a small bag of corn.

Those things are pretty cool. Be a good way to get rid of corn infested with aflatoxin.

[hlmencken3]

The USGS

http://pubs.usgs.gov/circ/2004/circ1268/index.html

estimated TOTAL self-supplied industrial use for whole of USA at 20 billion gallons/day in 2000.

Very interesting USGS site, BTW.

[thackney]

Thank you, I knew that number could not be true.

[P-40]

I don't see the military cost going down at all.

I think it would go down eventually. Part of our problem now is that we are supplying funds to our enemies with every barrel of oil we buy from them. We support unpopular governments because we need their oil. Frankly, if we were to revert back to a time when our very existence was not dependent on a product that came from some rather unpleasant sources, we would have less problems to deal with where our involvement is required...but would still have those where our involvement is mandatory.

[betsyross1776]

I am telling you they got one. It burns all day on one bag of corn. Maybe they have a website .I talk to the farmer when I go for produce this week end. See I support our local famrs and farmers and he sell s those stoves in his barn. I will get back to you .Betsy