Members of the environmentalist movement suddenly find themselves on the defensive these days as news comes of a growing global backlash against biofuels such as ethanol.
Some critics have even tagged the term 'a crime against humanity' to describe the push by environmentalists and the politicians who agree with them to switch to biofuels, due to the toll such a move takes on the world's food supply at a time when global hunger is on the rise.
Consumers all over the world are already feeling the effects of the environmentalist vision--skyrocketing food prices. In the United States food prices are rising at the fastest rate in 17 years.
The critics' view of the fiasco has some merit. How noble, honorable, or ethical is it to take land and commodities that were once used for food in order to produce fuel?
And let's not forget that food shortages resulting from the production of biofuels do nothing but raise the prices of food to unbelievable levels. The law of supply and demand is most evident here. As supplies dwindle and demand increases, prices skyrocket.
Further, let's also not forget that the blame for this crisis can be laid directly at the feet of the environmentalist movement and their puppet politicians around the world, particularly in the European Union.
By the way, for its part, the European Union, which normally can be counted on to wax eloquent in its morally and ethically superior manner about 'our responsibility to the poor of the world,' intends to dig in its heels and stay the course on developing and using biofuel technology, in spite of the food crisis it is creating.
To borrow a conversation from European royalty in the past, 'But, Sirs, the people have no bread.'
'Then let them eat ethanol.'
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
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2 comments:
If food supply levels erode to an extent that prices skyrocket then producers will come in and produce more. This will have an effect of lowering prices. That is simple supply and demand as well. As demand for ethanol increases the ability to develop cellulosic ethanol from parts of the crop not used for food will be more lucrative. This will then increase the supply of ethanol and untie it from its development from food sources. Lets have some faith in the market system. It has worked for thousands of years and environmentalists won't be able to derail it by proposing other fuel alternatives.
Yes, the free market system works, which is why I oppose governments in the EU and US subsidizing the production of ethanol.
Other alternative energy sources are much better, such as fuel cell, nuclear, solar, etc.
The myriad problems with ethanol have been delineated here many times. I simply do not believe it should become the major source of fuel...it may play a limited role, but let the market system work--ethanol needs to compete with the other forms of technology. It should not be favored by governments or pushed onto the society.
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