[cvillebiodiesel] Re: Earth Policy Institute economist Lester Brown Food or Fuel?
- From: Tom Silliman <tdskas@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: cvillebiodiesel@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2006 11:39:49 -0700 (PDT)
Chad,
Facts can be used so many ways that you always should try and be as aware as
possible about how you are getting them, especially their source and the
source's motivation.
To read more on corn, Michael Pollan's book Omnivore's Dilemma
(http://www.michaelpollan.com/omnivore.php) has a whole chapter on corn... very
enlightening when you see how misused corn is in this country!
Thanks for keeping everyone up to date on these issues...
Tom
----- Original Message ----
From: Blue Ridge Clean Fuels <brcfi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: cvillebiodiesel@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Monday, August 7, 2006 12:45:43 PM
Subject: [cvillebiodiesel] Earth Policy Institute economist Lester Brown Food
or Fuel?
Matt, thanks for the links. I heard the show the other day.
His point regarding competition between food or fuel is certainly topical.
However, his statements that our use of corn for ethanol production in the
US will deprive markets around the world of food, stretches the issue quite
a bit.
Note that most (90%+) of corn and soybean exports go into the livestock
industry, which if you do the math is a very serious misutilization of
energy to produce protein for human consumption. In developing countries
food aid has been shown to distort local agriculture to the detriment of
local farmers; in many cases a majority of the population works in
agriculture. However, I am not too worried about livestock industries
around the world which use the US factory farm model and engage in wasteful,
inhumane, resource hogging, environmental degrading, antibiotic overusing
practices having to reduce their dependence on imported feed grain from the
USA. Note that when he talks about feeding the world he is not refering to
those who are starving; it is those who might be eating livestock products
raised on imported US Feed Grains.
We need more local agriculture and so does the developing world.
US Agricultural policy is tilted to the mega producers of grain that feeds
the livestock industry. I once saw a report that suggested that 85% of ag.
subsidies go to major corporate farms. Perhaps a switch to biofuels will
ultimately reduce these subsidies. In fact why not pay farmers to grow fuel
crops (and I don't mean corn and soy) rather than encouraging them to over
produce for the export at great expense to the taxpayer and environment?
Oh well no issue is ever that straight forward.
CHAD
Chad Freckmann
Blue Ridge Clean Fuels
tel: +1 434 336-4388
cell: +1 434 996-4473
brcfi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
www.blueridgecleanfuels.org
-----Original Message-----
From: cvillebiodiesel-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:cvillebiodiesel-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of matt black
Sent: Monday, August 07, 2006 09:31
To: cvillebiodiesel@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [cvillebiodiesel] Food or Fuel?
World grain stocks are falling and prices are rising. Hard choices ahead?
Earth Policy Institute economist Lester Brown was interviewed on NPR's
"Talk of the Nation" on Friday, August 4th.
Listen at http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5617841
Read one of his recent articles at
http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/2006/Update55.htm
An article based on his latest book at
http://www.theglobalist.com/StoryId.aspx?StoryId=5077
One positive point mentioned, the possibility of using poor land for
switchgrass production, which can be converted to biofuels.
......................................................................
"If you have to travel on the Titanic, why not go First Class?"
--
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