Earthside Comments: There is simply no other way to put it: it is immoral that people in this world go hungry, just so that some suburban idiot can drive a Hummer fueled with E85 ethanol.
Americans especially are prone to the power of advertising. Ethanol producers, 'green' con artists, and automobile manufacturers are convincing some gullible folks that ethanol in their tank absolves them from any environmental responsibility for their destructive consumption choices.
Ethanol produced from any plant grown on land that is capable of producing food is a very bad practice. There is one sure fire way to do the right thing when it comes to our vehicles -- drive less, conserve as much as possible, buy hybrids or electric (when available) and conserve some more.
Link: EDITORIAL: Can't Eat Ethanol | Boston Globe
Corn should be used for food, not motor fuel, and yet the United States is committed to a policy that encourages farmers to turn an increasing amount of their crop into ethanol. This may save the nation a bit of the cost of imported oil, but it increases global-warming gases and contributes to higher food prices.
Candidates for president need to tell Americans the truth about ethanol, but they are falling over themselves in pursuit of the farm belt vote. Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton want more ethanol factories built than even President Bush envisaged when he called for 15 percent of US gasoline consumption to be replaced by alternative fuels by 2017. John McCain, who correctly called the ethanol push a boondoggle in 2000, now says that it is "a very important way to achieve energy independence."
Ethanol consumes almost a quarter of US corn production. The energy self-sufficiency that all the candidates seek should not come at the expense of the environment or the food supply.
Increased ethanol production isn't the only reason for the spike in food costs, but it's more controllable than drought in Australia, higher fertilizer prices, or increased meat consumption by the Chinese. Unlike those other cost-drivers, ethanol production is encouraged by federal subsidies.
And it's not as though ethanol improves the environment. When emissions inherent in the production process are included, ethanol consumption generates more carbon dioxide per gallon than gasoline, according to a recent report in Science magazine. Conversion of other cultivated biomass, such as sugarcane or soy, presents the same problem. The only biofuel that produces a net benefit is agricultural waste, an uncertain source. The best way for American motorists to use less gasoline is to drive fewer miles in lighter vehicles, rather than rely on the false promise of biofuels.
Ethanol is now usually sold as 10 percent of a fuel mixture that includes 90 percent gasoline. The government is thinking of ordering refiners to raise the blend to 15 or 20 percent. Ethanol generates fewer miles per gallon than regular gasoline. And it's not yet clear, according to the Consumer Reports website, how the higher blends would affect engine reliability or longevity. Before the government insists on a new fuel blend, it ought to examine all the hidden costs.
Greater use of ethanol means more greenhouse gases and more expensive food for people and livestock, hardly a fair exchange. There's a limited role for biofuels, excluding corn, in reducing oil imports from volatile regions, but they are not the answer to the world's need for energy on the go.
Link: Haiti Aid Workers Fear Widening Hunger | Associated Press
Aid organizations said Sunday they feared the nutritional crisis could deepen in impoverished Haiti, where skyrocketing food prices have already led to deadly protests and the ouster of the nation's No. 2 politician.
With anger over food prices threatening the stability of this Caribbean nation already haunted by chronic hunger, the U.N. World Food Program appealed for donations to meet its US$96 million (euro61 million) aid goal for Haiti. It has collected less than 15 percent of the annual budget goal.
On Saturday, President Rene Preval announced subsidies to lower the price of rice and Haitian lawmakers fired Prime Minister Jacques Edouard Alexis for failing to boost food production.
But aid workers said the measures might not be enough to ease popular anger if hunger continues to rise. ...
... A week of hunger-provoked protests and looting have already left six people dead, including a Nigerian officer with the 9,000-member U.N. police force who was pulled from a car and killed Saturday afternoon. Three Sri Lankan peacekeepers on patrol were injured by gunfire earlier in the week.
Link: Tanzania Faces Food Shortages as Maize Imports Fall Short | The East African
Tanzania is facing imminent food shortage after failing to import 300,000 tonnes of maize required to offset a food shortage in the country.
Prof Peter Msolla, the minister for Agriculture, Food Security and Co-operatives told The East African that so far only 6,500 tonnes of maize have been imported despite the government’s waiver on taxes on imported foodstuff as incentive for importers. The waiver was aimed at stocking up the national food reserve.
The country’s projected estimates for food production for the year 2007/2008 is 11.02 million tonnes against a national consumption rate of 10.09 million tonnes. ...
... In January, the government announced the tax waiver for a period of five months from January to May. This was arrived at following an analysis by the Ministry of Agriculture of the declining food production with maize volumes having dwindled for the 2007/2008 season, coupled with severe food crisis reports from 21 districts.
Maize importers however said that even after the duty waiver, they were unable to get substantial volumes and attributed this to the fact that most countries that produce grains in large quantities had turned to the lucrative bio-fuel production instead.
Link: Food Riots in Bangladesh, Egypt and Philippines – Many Other Nations Ready to Explode | India Daily
The food prices have gone up exponentially in the last few years. That has caused major problem for common people in many developing nations especially with food shortages.
Nearly two dozen people were injured as police opened fire in air and used batons and tear gas to disperse thousands of protesters who turned violent while demanding a wage hike to meet the steep food prices in Bangladesh capital Dhaka.
It is a ‘silent famine’ in the all the poor nations as grains get converted to biofuel and other food products in the chain also rise in price.
Recently in Egypt and Philippines similar riots have taken place. African nations are worst hit. Even India and China are facing food shortages and the common people are using credit cards to fulfill their food requirements.
In United States common middleclass households are seeing their weekly grocery bill is rising by 40 to50% over the last two years.
I have a webcomic and today have covered this same topic and completely agree with you. I also used your blog as a reference link.
http://facebigelow.blogspot.com/2008/04/face-bigelow-61-food-shortages.html
Posted by: wooD | Monday, April 14, 2008 at 10:41 AM