I am very supportive of the push for alternative fuels and more integrated use of renewable resources. However, I find myself rather alarmed by the frenzied, almost blind rush towards grain based ethanol. If not managed carefully, the rush towards this new alternative fuel could have dramatic conquences, not only economically but also to the natural environment.
First of all, has everyone forgotten that food is not exactly in abundant supply in many parts of the world, and that we are beginning to divert substantial amounts of crops that would be used for food into fuel? Or that a significant portion of our foreign aid is delivered in the form of corn, wheat and other natural grains? Also, according to one report I heard recently, inflationary pressures caused be increases in food prices have a much greater impact on most families' finances than increases in fuel prices. And if it is a greater burden for Americans to pay more for food than for fuel, imagine what it's like in many parts of the world where food can barely be afforded. Further, in places like Brazil where ethanol is the primary fuel, there is increasingly rampant deforestation to make room for sugar crops to produce the ethanol. So, we end up destroying the environment that we are trying to protect by switching from petroleum to ethanol based products in the first place.
Again, I support the exploration and implementation of alternative sources of energy, but we need to think very carefully about this now before we create a larger mess for ourselves in the future. I wish there was a stronger push for waste-product based biofuel production (i.e. switchgrass) than grain based production.
2 comments:
Hydrogen Fuel-cell and electric is the way to go. As long as we can find cleaner ways to create and dispose of electric vehicles.
U of D is getting some Hydrogen Fuel Cell busses soon. Should be interesting.
If fuel prices continue to increase, food prices will increase anyway. The east and west are heavily dependent on food grown and shipped from the heartland. There isn't any way around it.
Right now we have excess farm capacity in the US. The government is spending money to keep food prices at current levels in order keep small farmers in business. If food prices go up naturally through market pressure, we can stop offering those subsidies and those small farms will still stay in business. This is a good thing.
We're going to ethanol because it has shown itself to be a workable model in South America.
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