Posted on 08/29/2006 5:55:39 AM PDT by 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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More about bio-fuels Why Wal-Mart wants to sell ethanol
E85 is available at only a tiny fraction of gas stations. But the giant retailer is poised to change that. (more) Manure mountains to fuel ethanol plant One company's drive to locate domestic sources of energy is taking a turn into the barnyard. (more) Soybeans that give you gas Argentina is a prime market for making and selling renewable biodiesel fuel thanks to cheap land and labor, as well as bumper crops of soybeans. (more)
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.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Lester Brown is not either very knowledgeable or expert, but he plays one on tv.
The switchover to bio-mass alternatives, basically highly efficient use of renewable agri-waste and low-impact plants, such as switch-grass etc is looming. Corn is projected to go over $5 a bushel even without the pressure of the ethanol industry, and this will, by the force of the free market, make it much more conducive to the adoption of the new feedstock sources for fermentation. Corn will be phased out...naturally...as a market response. Farmers will be happy, as they will have even more variety of sources of income, and stable income, they can develop. American auto owners will be happy, because their fuel prices will stabilize and their gas tanks won't be able to be shut off at the whim of Adhmanajad and Osama Bin Laden and his kin.
But, pity the poor liberal television gloom-and-doomers. They will be very unhappy.
My brother in law is a pipefitter who is building an ethanol plant in Litchfield Mi. He says that ethanol plants are all he sees for work in the forseeable future.
Total crap, which has been refute on this forum countless times! Go educate yourself dude.
Let me see. You advocate lies and tell me to stop disagreeing with them. If ethanol were a net energy producer (and it's not) you could run the whole process on ethanol with some left over. You can't, so stop lying and go suck a government subsidy.
He is quite correct. Ethanol as a fuel only works because of subsidy: agricultural lobbyists notwithstanding.
In 5 years, we'll be inundated in light crude oil from the Canada syncrude projects. If not 5 years then soon after...
SO......
Ethanol was the answer, until we start using it. So now it's "bad"
Wind power is the answer, until someone wants to build wind mills where the Kennedy's might see them. Now they are bad.
SSDD.
When are you people going to get over this net energy loss arguement? The facts state otherwise. One other note on this. The corn will be grown whether or not there is an ethanol industry. Is there still a net energy loss? If these poor people need food then they can pay me for the corn. Besides most of the corn is used for feeding animals and you still have feed as a by product after you make ethanol. Farmers are not paid to not farm. Set aside acres went out with the last farm bill.
No my friend you the one who is full of crap and I have news for you. Your ignorant opinion doesn't refute thermodynamics.
All the world's problems are easily solved; cover the planet with solar panels and corn!
See, why was that so hard to figure out?
Let them eat cake!!!
I know why don't the sorry third world bums start growing their own food stock?
Jeeez. Now if old people fill up thier cars with a gas/ethanol blend, they'll starve even more than they are already!
When it's shown to be false by facts.
"The truth is the gov in our country actually pays the farmers not to plant half their fields so they can import from other countries."
"Half their fields" is a gross error and the U.S. is a huge exporter of corn and other grains:
http://www.freshplaza.com/2006/28aug/2_us_export.htm
So maybe he ought to start a garden.
I'm thinking cattails, broom corn, and reedgrass first.
We have had ethanol available at the pumps in my area for many years (central Illinois) and it's cheaper because of federal subsidies.
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