Tonight, G.W. Bush is expected to announce a major energy proposal, including
cutbacks in gas consumption and development of alternative fuels. High on the list is the development and subsidisation of
ethanol, primarily as derived from corn. The utility of corn-based ethanol in meeting energy needs is debatable: its probably weakly
energy positive, but not very good in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. More immediately, the US drive towards corn based ethanol has had major effects on the price of corn, and has caused the otherwise free market leaning Mexican President Felipe Calderon to introduce price controls on
tortillas. Earth Policy Institute's
Lester Brown: "
The competition for grain between the world’s 800 million motorists who want to maintain their mobility and its 2 billion poorest people who are simply trying to survive is emerging as an epic issue.". (This post based on a column by
Barrie McKenna, unfortunately subscriber only.)
posted by bumpkin
on Jan 23, 2007 -
119 comments
