One of the things that has worried me for sometime is the whole concept of “biofuels”. In its most simple form it means turning organic materials, such as sugar cane or wheat, into fuels such as ethanol or bio-diesel.
Or even more simply, you are turning food into petrol.
What a horrific idea. We have close to a billion people who don’t have enough food to eat, and “filling the tank of an SUV with ethanol requires enough corn to feed a person for a year”.
No wonder the price of food, even in SA, is going through the roof!
What is happening here is that you are linking the price of oil with the price of food, or another way to look at it is that you are linking the value of agricultural land with that of energy.
And if you make energy / fuel with your agricultural land, you will make more money. Finish and klaar. So then, why grow food for people? Much better to grow food for fuel. And even in SA, this is being promoted by the bio-fuels strategy.
This is a major problem, for as we run out of oil, there will be a strong move to bio-fuels, which will drive up the food price. UNLESS we can move away from energy based on fossil fuels and biofuels from agricultural land.
So think of this next time you fill your car. Because you are using that petrol, someone elsewhere is making bio-fuel to replace it, and some else will starve.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
That is sad, but at the moment a more sustainable solution seems to be a long time comming. If electric / hybrid / hydrogen cars were a little more affordable, I would get one in a second.
I also think we are trying to look at short-term solutions rather than at the more far-reaching consequences - very much still an African thing as well, where long-term planning is not taught.
You may wish to have a look at the new scientist magazine - nearly every week they have at some Renewable enrgy debates - this one in particular is interesting in respect of you "rant":
http://environment.newscientist.com/channel/earth/energy-fuels/mg19726493.500-chief-scientist-revolts-over-biofuel-legislation.html
Post a Comment