Fill my tank or feed a child?
10-24-2006, 01:41 PM
#1
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Join Date: 06-21-2006
Location: Calgary
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Fill my tank or feed a child?
Interesting article I found today. What a dilemma.
New fuels depleting food supply, critic says
DENNIS BUECKERT
Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- The grain needed to fill the tank of a typical SUV could feed a person for a year, a leading international environmentalist says.
Lester Brown, executive-director of the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute, says a global rush to alternative fuels made from food crops is likely to increase hunger in the poorest countries.
"What has happened in the last few years is that the runaway price of oil has made the conversion of agricultural commodities into fuel for cars extraordinarily profitable," he told a conference at the University of Ottawa.
"Almost everything we eat can be converted into fuel for cars: wheat, corn, rice, soybeans, sugar cane -- you name it. There have been times in recent months when the price of ethanol in the United States was double the cost of production. That's a good margin."
Last year, the U.S. ethanol industry consumed 55 million tonnes of corn -- more than the entire Canadian harvest, Mr. Brown said.
He said new biofuel plants are being announced somewhere in the world at a rate of more than one every day. There are 105 U.S. ethanol plants, with about 40 under construction and another 50 to 75 being planned.
Canada has also seen rapid expansion of the ethanol industry, and the federal government has encouraged this with an exemption from excise tax and a pledge to require all automobile fuel to contain 5-per-cent ethanol.
Provinces are also eager ethanol supporters. Earlier this month, Alberta allocated $209-million over four years to encourage the renewable-fuels industry by 2010.
Although ethanol is usually promoted on environmental grounds, its actual environmental benefits are subject to debate, while the impact on food supplies has received scarcely any notice.
Mr. Brown said the priorities for agriculture should be food and feed, not fuel.
"There is no international body to mediate the competition between 800 million people with cars and two billion of the poorest people who spend more than half their income on food.
"It is one of the most important, politically disruptive issues on the horizon today. The risk is that rising grain prices in low-income countries that import a lot of their grain could lead to food riots and political instability on a scale we've not seen before."
He suggested there are much greater benefits in developing wind power.
Governments could use tax policy to encourage a shift to gasoline hybrid vehicles that use electricity and provide the electricity for these vehicles using wind power.
Mr. Brown cited U.S. government studies showing that wind power could satisfy all the country's energy needs, and suggested Canada's wind resources would be even more abundant.
Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, says there has been a freeze on federal support for wind energy projects since April while the new government considers its options.
He said incentives created by the former government led to a boom in the industry, pushing Canada's wind-power capacity to a record 1,218 megawatts last year, enough to power 370,000 homes.
New fuels depleting food supply, critic says
DENNIS BUECKERT
Canadian Press
OTTAWA -- The grain needed to fill the tank of a typical SUV could feed a person for a year, a leading international environmentalist says.
Lester Brown, executive-director of the Washington-based Earth Policy Institute, says a global rush to alternative fuels made from food crops is likely to increase hunger in the poorest countries.
"What has happened in the last few years is that the runaway price of oil has made the conversion of agricultural commodities into fuel for cars extraordinarily profitable," he told a conference at the University of Ottawa.
"Almost everything we eat can be converted into fuel for cars: wheat, corn, rice, soybeans, sugar cane -- you name it. There have been times in recent months when the price of ethanol in the United States was double the cost of production. That's a good margin."
Last year, the U.S. ethanol industry consumed 55 million tonnes of corn -- more than the entire Canadian harvest, Mr. Brown said.
He said new biofuel plants are being announced somewhere in the world at a rate of more than one every day. There are 105 U.S. ethanol plants, with about 40 under construction and another 50 to 75 being planned.
Canada has also seen rapid expansion of the ethanol industry, and the federal government has encouraged this with an exemption from excise tax and a pledge to require all automobile fuel to contain 5-per-cent ethanol.
Provinces are also eager ethanol supporters. Earlier this month, Alberta allocated $209-million over four years to encourage the renewable-fuels industry by 2010.
Although ethanol is usually promoted on environmental grounds, its actual environmental benefits are subject to debate, while the impact on food supplies has received scarcely any notice.
Mr. Brown said the priorities for agriculture should be food and feed, not fuel.
"There is no international body to mediate the competition between 800 million people with cars and two billion of the poorest people who spend more than half their income on food.
"It is one of the most important, politically disruptive issues on the horizon today. The risk is that rising grain prices in low-income countries that import a lot of their grain could lead to food riots and political instability on a scale we've not seen before."
He suggested there are much greater benefits in developing wind power.
Governments could use tax policy to encourage a shift to gasoline hybrid vehicles that use electricity and provide the electricity for these vehicles using wind power.
Mr. Brown cited U.S. government studies showing that wind power could satisfy all the country's energy needs, and suggested Canada's wind resources would be even more abundant.
Robert Hornung, president of the Canadian Wind Energy Association, says there has been a freeze on federal support for wind energy projects since April while the new government considers its options.
He said incentives created by the former government led to a boom in the industry, pushing Canada's wind-power capacity to a record 1,218 megawatts last year, enough to power 370,000 homes.
10-24-2006, 02:22 PM
#7
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Join Date: 06-21-2006
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Boom's are always good Jim. I work in an industry that is experience a giant boom right now. But the big concern is about after the boom. What happens when things go bust??
At the rate that industrialized areas are expanding onto farm land and the rate at which these farmers are turning over these crops a bust is very likely to happen. The farmers are likely to be very happy right now selling their yields to produce these fuels but if an new source comes along in the near (or distant) future then the farmers are toast.
At the rate that industrialized areas are expanding onto farm land and the rate at which these farmers are turning over these crops a bust is very likely to happen. The farmers are likely to be very happy right now selling their yields to produce these fuels but if an new source comes along in the near (or distant) future then the farmers are toast.
10-24-2006, 03:06 PM
#8
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Join Date: 10-09-2006
Location: Clermont, FL
Posts: 258
Originally Posted by captain howdy
I don't buy it. 
It sounds like tree hugger crap to me. 
It sounds like tree hugger crap to me. 
There is a lot excess grain producing capacity in North America and there are many non-grain alternatives. Maybe they should invent an engine that runs on cold - they have lots of that in Canada.
10-24-2006, 03:15 PM
#9
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Join Date: 09-09-2006
Location: Fresno, California (formerly of Modesto, Ca. -- hometown of George Lucas, formerly of Winnipeg, Mb.)
Posts: 930
Originally Posted by BILLANDTONI
How about before Canada worries about feeding the world, how about they get a military so we don't have to keep protecting them eh'?????
First off, dude. the U.S. Military isn't protecting Canada. Second, comments like that should be thought about before posting them to a public site like this... you obviously forgot that there are quite a few Candians who are members of this forum... and even though most of them do know that our military is short in many areas, we don't need to be reminded about it from Americans. And third, no one in Canada say's 'Eh.'... only American's think we say it.
I served my country by being in the Navy and I am proud of it... and yes, I am Canadian.
10-24-2006, 03:32 PM
#10
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Join Date: 07-18-2006
Location: Mustang, OK
Posts: 51
Originally Posted by modestohhrclub
First off, dude. the U.S. Military isn't protecting Canada. Second, comments like that should be thought about before posting them to a public site like this... you obviously forgot that there are quite a few Candians who are members of this forum... and even though most of them do know that our military is short in many areas, we don't need to be reminded about it from Americans. And third, no one in Canada say's 'Eh.'... only American's think we say it.
I served my country by being in the Navy and I am proud of it... and yes, I am Canadian.
I served my country by being in the Navy and I am proud of it... and yes, I am Canadian.
Who do you really think is doing it then, Dudley Do Right?????
Wait, I forgot, I think I remember hearing about the Canadian Military once.
Oops, no wait, what I heard about was draft dodgers getting out of joining the US military by going to Canada.....
As far as the eh' comment, you have obviously never watched/heard a hockey interview with a Canadian player then.....
Anyway, you know why noone attacks Canada, because we (the US) would kick there ass, not because of the Canadian military, not to mention I am not to sure there is anything in Canada anyone wants or needs.