Thursday 24 August 2006

Bellies or Fuel Tanks?

Continuing our impromptu series on tricky tradeoffs, let’s compare the following quotations:

First this:

Ford has already put more than 1.5 million bioethanol capable vehicles on the road across the world and will produce 250,000 more this year.

Then this:

… biofuels presented one of three major challenges for farming, alongside climate change and a rising world population.

Food output would have to rise by 40 percent in the next 25 years to keep pace with a rise in the world population to nine billion people. That in turn will strain demand for irrigation with one in three people living in regions with water shortages.

Where do we put all that corn and soyabeans, in our bellies or fuel tanks? Another one to watch.

In my opinion, biofuels are merely a stop-gap solution, until we can transition to renewables-based hydrogen or electricity to run our cars.

(Link to Carbon Clear homepage)