More ethanol jeopardizes food security worldwide
I have previously mentioned the plans to locate an ethanol plant in El Salvador, as part of a joint project with Brazil and the US. Although the plant planned for El Salvador will process sugar cane, US ethanol plans focus on the use of corn. This demand for corn for fuel is driving up the price of basic foodstuffs for the poor throughout the world, according to the International Monetary Fund.
A very thorough description of the ethanol/food costs tradeoff appears in Foreign Affairs, in an article titled How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor. I recommend the article to anyone who wants to explore the issue. Here is one passage from the article:
It is not clear what benefits an ethanol plant in El Salvador will bring to the country, a point well made in this blog post by Carlos. (in Spanish). But helping to facilitate a world ethanol economy may only threaten food security with few benefits for the environment or consumers outside of the richest countries.
A very thorough description of the ethanol/food costs tradeoff appears in Foreign Affairs, in an article titled How Biofuels Could Starve the Poor. I recommend the article to anyone who wants to explore the issue. Here is one passage from the article:
The World Bank has estimated that in 2001, 2.7 billion people in the world were living on the equivalent of less than $2 a day; to them, even marginal increases in the cost of staple grains could be devastating. filling the 25-gallon tank of an SUV with pure ethanol requires over 450 pounds of corn -- which contains enough calories to feed one person for a year. By putting pressure on global supplies of edible crops, the surge in ethanol production will translate into higher prices for both processed and staple foods around the world. Biofuels have tied oil and food prices together in ways that could profoundly upset the relationships between food producers, consumers, and nations in the years ahead, with potentially devastating implications for both global poverty and food security.
It is not clear what benefits an ethanol plant in El Salvador will bring to the country, a point well made in this blog post by Carlos. (in Spanish). But helping to facilitate a world ethanol economy may only threaten food security with few benefits for the environment or consumers outside of the richest countries.
Comments
Not only that, but in countries like this were the superb government hands out Natural protected areas to some dudes so they can exploit, allow canadian mafias with their mining companies harass comunities so they can poison our water reserves with their cyanide mining (which if Im' not mistaken is banned in COlorado... Umm, I can only wonder why?), and some oligarchs are urbanizing like maniacs, planting their black gold (coffee) in protected mountains, can you imagine the environmental impact this will caus in stupid countries like this one? The mass deforestation, and stuff (not only in countires like this, but in places like Borneo, Amazons, or any forested place being cut down to satisfy the worlds need for this "green fuel")? Not really sure about the process of making the etanol and whatever gasses it may emit, but all I can say that USA chose El Salvador well, its very own guinea pig. Nothing that USA "offers" or decides for El Salvador, will ever ever be refused by the brownnosing mafia in goverment... How else will they ever retain their narcobusiness protected?
Bush comes to Latin America, talks ethanol: all of the sudden, biofuels are officially b-a-d.
Back in Feb 27th, before Bush, I condemned the U.S. ethanol policy that has raised Salvadorean corn and pork prices here at Tim's.
It did not look as people were very incensed back then, but then of course, they hadn't thought of blaming Bush yet.
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More background on the inhuman U.S. policy of burning food as fuel here.
Here's another thought, by the way. Anon writes, "Not really sure about the process of making the etanol and whatever gasses it may emit."
As a homebrewer and beer lover, I can tell you. Fermenting sugars to produce alcohol produces CO2--a greenhouse gas. (Though I still favor producing beer, as long as its good quality beer! Homebrewers are also great recyclers!)
Larry
again, only HEMP is the solution
www.earthpeoplefoundation.org for links and info and real data