Those fun-loving guys are at it again...

The current issue of Time Magazine (4/7/08) has as its cover story an expose of the biofuel (ie. ethanol) stampede. Basically, Time reports that ethanol actually adds to the greenhouse gases while diverting crops like corn from being a food source to being a fuel source. This diversion of crops like corn away from the feedlots and grocery stores to the ethanol plants means that the cost of many foods is going to go up. In addition, the rush to biofuels is one of the driving forces behind the accelerating destruction of the Amazonian rain forest.

One of the factoids that Time trots out in the course of the article is that the amount of corn needed to produce a tank of ethanol for a hybrid SUV would feed one adult human for one year. The fact that there are tens of millions of human beings who suffer from (at one end of the scale) malnutrition to (at the other end of the scale) fatal starvation, the act of diverting food to something as inconsequential as fueling one of our behemoth vehicles becomes a little macabre at best.

So, not only is most ethanol a net carbon emitter (only sugar cane based ethanol contributes, net, less carbon than oil based fuels), but its production absorbs resources which once went into food production. All that corn that is going ethanol plants is not going to the feedlots...and that means that those burgers on the grill this summer are going to become a luxury rather than a regular event.

Of course, what we should be promoting and investing research dollars and resources in is hydrogen. As a fuel, hydrogen emits no carbon (when you think about it, its major byproduct is water...). The rap against hydrogen is that it is hard to handle. Which is why we need to invest in research to find ways to make it easier to use. Oh, and I do note that many of the biggest boosters of biofuels are American corporate agri-businesses. Yes, Corporate America, smelling the opportunity for some quick profits has jumped aboard the ethanol bandwagon while loudly proclaiming themselves to be truly committed to to protecting the ecosphere. This loud self-promotion does lead me to wonder why American Corporations are almost always on the wrong side of those issues which define character. Hmmm.

But that is a rant for another time...