All of this back and forth on the value of food-based fuel seems to be one of the central issues involved in how the world is handling the crippling food shortages lately. The U.N. held its food crisis summit in Rome and couldn’t make heads or tails of how to resolve this “biofuel debate” in the world community.

The only thing every can agree on is that there’s no future in using biofuels:

A June 9 Editorial from the New York Times said that:

“The International Monetary Fund estimated that biofuels — mainly American corn ethanol — accounted for almost half the growth in worldwide demand for major food crops last year.”

Jeffrey Sachs from Time Magazine was even more direct:

“Much as we need alternative forms of fuel, paying our farmers to fill our gas tanks with their crops is a foolish policy–with catastrophic results for the world.”

And with evidence coming out that biofuls may be bad for the environment anyway, the drawbacks just keep on coming.

So, we either use food to create biofuels and keep our fingers crossed that we don’t cook the earth while we starve millions of people. Or, we use that food to feed the hungry and let the world heat up with all the CO2 we’re pumping in it from fossil fuels.

Swell.

But what other solution do we have? It may be a bad option, but right now it’s the only option, and you’ve got to work with what you’ve got. Or do you?

There’s got to be a viable alternative-fuel out there, right? Any ideas?

1. Jake Says:
   June 16th, 2008 at 7:59am

   More research should be done into hydrogen fuel cells. Honda is starting production of its new hydrogen fuel cell car called the F-C-X Clarity.

   “Honda says the vehicle offers two times better fuel efficiency than a gas-electric hybrid and three times that of a traditional gasoline-powered vehicle.”

   If the technology can develop to meet the needs of the country, and if hydrogen fueling stations can be installed throughout the country, this option seems very feasible and preferable to biofuels.



2. Dawn Says:
   June 26th, 2008 at 7:36am

   There are some thoughts to consider using the biofuels until other technology receives enough research funding to move forward as well. Currently, biofuel is also produced from sugarcane - of which almost no green-tinged supporter of biofuels is aware. It is cheaper and more enviro-friendly to produce, too.

   So why the corn? Well, one reason is that the US is currently imposing a 58¢/gal tariff on Brazilian produced sugar-ethanol (Brazil is the largest producer there of) to protect US-produced corn-ethanol marketability.

   Given that sugar isn’t a staple cereal grain, and how remarkably intensely petroleum companies have been pushing their “admirable” pouring of funds into corn-ethanol tech research (and how much into telling us about it?) and that Brazil’s consumption is ? 1/20th of US petroleum consumption, it’s looking suspiciously like we (as the US) are once again allowing marketing to define our perception of what’s best despite the catastrophic effect that consumerism may be having on the basic human needs of a large chunk of ‘those other people’.

   Of course, it’s a pet peeve of mine that we’re too easily convinced of a giant corporation’s “good intentions” by shiny pictures they hand us. =)



3. bozuk para sayma makinalar? Says:
   June 26th, 2008 at 9:58am

   Hi, this is a interesting article. I like a food also, for this my weight 96 kgs. .
   I want to choose these years more vegetable fooding and need more healty life. But i like
   most much than meat, So if any body can know good diet programme pls. cantact with me
   Best Regards . M.Y