Food Crisis Starts Eclipsing Climate Change Worries

News Type: Other — Seeded on Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:24 AM EDT

Article Source: The New York Sun

us-news, algore, global-warming-faith, food-for-fuel, fuel-instead-of-food

Gore Ducks, as a Backlash Builds Against Biofuels
By JOSH GERSTEIN, Staff Reporter of the Sun | April 25, 2008

The campaign against climate change could be set back by the global food crisis, as foreign populations turn against measures to use foodstuffs as substitutes for fossil fuels.

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5.5

1.1

{"commentId":1732563,"authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}

bluecollarbytes

excerpt 2: "With prices for rice, wheat, and corn soaring, food-related unrest has broken out in places such as Haiti, Indonesia, and Afghanistan. Several countries have blocked the export of grain. There is even talk that governments could fall if they cannot bring food costs down"

{"commentId":1732563,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}

1 vote

#1 - Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:25 AM EDT

{"commentId":1732564,"authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}

bluecollarbytes

excerpt 3:"One factor being blamed for the price hikes is the use of government subsidies to promote the use of corn for ethanol production. An estimated 30% of America's corn crop now goes to fuel, not food."

{"commentId":1732564,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}

1 vote

#2 - Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:26 AM EDT

{"commentId":1732578,"authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}

bluecollarbytes

excerpt 4:""It takes around 400 pounds of corn to make 25 gallons of ethanol," Mr. Senauer, also an applied economics professor at Minnesota, said. "It's not going to be a very good diet but that's roughly enough to keep an adult person alive for a year."

{"commentId":1732578,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}

1 vote

#3 - Fri Apr 25, 2008 9:28 AM EDT

{"commentId":1732905,"authorDomain":"DrKnow"}

Dr Know

This is the result of the "chicken little" effect. "Something has to be done, anything".

Ethanol is energy neutral. It costs as much in conventional energy to produce as it provides. It does NOTHING for the environment. It only makes some people (mostly politicians) feel good that they "did" something about the problem.

A few more of these "solutions" will result in the "boy who cried wolf" response. When a real solution is developed, no one will listen.

{"commentId":1732905,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"DrKnow"}

3 votes

#4 - Fri Apr 25, 2008 10:41 AM EDT

{"commentId":1733122,"authorDomain":"seward"}

Sandie Seward

The sooner that Frenchman who has developed an engine that runs on compressed air is allowed to market it, the better.

Air cars are the future, not electric, nor ethanol, and most certainly not oil.

{"commentId":1733122,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"seward"}

1 vote

#4.1 - Fri Apr 25, 2008 11:22 AM EDT

{"commentId":1734256,"authorDomain":"wingod"}

space guy

The sooner that Frenchman who has developed an engine that runs on compressed air is allowed to market it, the better.

It requires electrical power to fill that air, which requires oil or nuclear or solar.

{"commentId":1734256,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"wingod"}

3 votes

#4.2 - Fri Apr 25, 2008 2:57 PM EDT

{"commentId":1734960,"authorDomain":"PurelyPolitical"}

Bodhi1

Solved. Welcome to Utopia citizen.

{"commentId":1734960,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"PurelyPolitical"}

3 votes

#4.3 - Fri Apr 25, 2008 5:41 PM EDT

{"commentId":1733394,"authorDomain":"jdl-28"}

jdl-28

Do you think that maybe they would just like to get the price up, everything is blame on fuel for cars. One thing we produce wheat in this country we will not be short if we didn't ship it out to all the other country. Come on everyone is trying to get more money out of you and this is there new way. How many cars are depending on total ethanol not enough yet to cause a food shortage and that would be corn only so where is the rice and wheat is coming into the picture.

Global warming is causing everything now, gee how fast thing take off causing problem before anyone can prove global warming is even going to happen. This country live in fear of their own Shadow, and we talk about it one day and the next we have food shortages.

Let solve the problem we keep all our food in this country and produce our own oil and than we do not need anything from any other country. Now we will have lots of food and oil.

{"commentId":1733394,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"jdl-28"}

#5 - Fri Apr 25, 2008 12:14 PM EDT

{"commentId":1736101,"authorDomain":"backroadsbubba"}

backroads

A non-food biofuel appears to be the better course right now, even with ethanol's two valuable co-products.

{"commentId":1736101,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"backroadsbubba"}

2 votes

#6 - Sat Apr 26, 2008 2:17 AM EDT

{"commentId":1738884,"authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}

bluecollarbytes

What's wrong with 'shipping food' out of the country? We get loads of food stuffs from all over. There is such a thing as global commerce, {not Globalization} which is responsible for raising living standards and knowledge, which is as old as nations are.

I find it curious that those who're inclined to blame America for the world's ills refuse to see the real potential danger of burning up food supplies for no net economic or environmental benefit, at the cost of rising food prices throughout the world, which will bring us levels of resentment we've not seen before.

Imagine a country which refuses to develop its own energy resources so that folks on the mainland can "feel good" about a few acres in Alaska, not have to see wind farms on Cape Cod, or risk property values on Florida's coast.

Our priorities are screwed up. We're spoiled.

Bio-fuels may make better sense some day, especially if they can be made from various waste by-products or refuse. But a constant readily available affordable supply of food is required. Food-fuel is not, and now threatens to demonize us in new ways, real ways that impact real people the world over.

{"commentId":1738884,"threadId":"255419","contentId":"1452310","authorDomain":"bluecollarbytes"}

3 votes

#7 - Sun Apr 27, 2008 8:17 AM EDT

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Food Riots Made in the USA	Campaign Standard	Wed Apr 23	47
GasHole: Dirty Oil and The Biofuel Myth	Allison Kilkenny	Sat Apr 26	1
Bring on the Right Biofuels - New York Times	The New York Times	Thu Apr 24	0
Despite Obstacles, Biofuels Continue Surge	worldwatch.org	Thu Apr 24	0

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