subscribe button

Monday

Ethanol, Are you kidding me?


I find it interesting that in the 70s it was forecast that by the 90s we wouldn't be able to grow enough food to feed the folks of this land and wars would be fought over food. Well it is 2008 and not only do we think we can grow enough food but we say what the hell let's grow food and burn it to move our cars.

Does it matter that it is inefficient? Does it matter that it can't be done without Big Corn getting handouts from Uncle Sam? Does it matter that it will drive up the cost on all food from wheat to beef? Who suffers the most from increased food costs, the rich? I don't think so. What about other unintended consequences? Check out this short video "food vs fuel".

Dr Walter Williams has some interesting info on "Big Corn"
Ethanol is 20 to 30 percent less efficient than gasoline, making it more expensive per highway mile. It takes 450 pounds of corn to produce the ethanol to fill one SUV tank. That's enough corn to feed one person for a year. Plus, it takes more than one gallon of fossil fuel -- oil and natural gas -- to produce one gallon of ethanol. After all, corn must be grown, fertilized, harvested and trucked to ethanol producers -- all of which are fuel-using activities. And, it takes 1,700 gallons of water to produce one gallon of ethanol. On top of all this, if our total annual corn output were put to ethanol production, it would reduce gasoline consumption by 10 or 12 percent. Read more...
Call me old fashioned, but I still think food is best served on the table to hungry folks. This increase in food prices is not just affecting folks here in the USA. Since this is one area where we excel, diverting corn and acreage to fuel production drives up the cost of food around the globe without any decrease in fuel prices.

Higher food prices for the poor of all countries, just one of the many unintended consequences of "going green."

0 comments: