Here's one for you folks ....

I just picked it up from an Enviro Industry online journal. Please read it through and think about its claims and whether you agree or have a different viewpoint. These are the kind of discussions we as biofuel users and enthusiasts need to be able to answer when shirt fronted about 'crimes against humainty' and of course orangutangs.

Of interest is the source of the article which is provided at the bottom. I had to laugh ...

Cheers,
Cameron



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Biofuels push “a crime against humanity”

Tuesday, 15 April 2008

New rules requiring the inclusion of biofuels in vehicle fuels come into force in the UK today. But it is becoming increasingly clear that biofuels impose painful social costs, especially in the developing world, and they will not deliver the environmental benefits their advocates had promised.

In the US, corn is the main feedstock for ethanol

The introduction of Britain’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) means all petrol sold in the UK will have to include at least 2.5% biofuels, rising to 5% by 2010.

This follows similar mandates in much of continental Europe, the US and, closer to home, Queensland.

But some scientists and green groups argue that biofuels do more harm than good; that rather than helping tackle climate change, biofuels actually contribute more greenhouse gases, through deforestation and the use of fertilisers, than they save.

This argument has yet to be resolved, but one thing that cannot be disputed is that biofuels are a prime culprit in rapidly rising food prices around the world.

In some cases, food crops such as corn and soy beans are being diverted to biofuel production. In other cases, land that used to be planted with food crops is now being cultivated with biofuel crops.

The net effect is upward pressure on food prices, which have risen by 83% globally in the past three years.

World Bank President Robert Zoellick has warned that in many countries poor people are spending 50-75% of their income on food, and up to 33 countries are at risk of social upheaval because of rising food prices.

Biofuels are certainly not the sole cause of rising food prices. Zoellick says a "perfect storm of things coming together" is causing higher food prices – these factors include financial market speculation, high energy prices and increased demand for food. He could have added to this list World Bank and IMF policies that have discouraged subsistence agriculture, and European Union food subsidies that have made undermined the competitiveness of Third World cash crops.

But the biofuels push is certainly one of the prime drivers in the increasing unaffordability of food.

In the past two years the price of corn in the US has more than doubled, driven partly by demand for alternative fuels such as ethanol. This has been tough on many Americans, but has been disastrous for people in neighbouring Mexico where corn is a staple food.

In the past few weeks alone, there have been food riots in many developing nations, including Indonesia, the Philippines, Egypt and Haiti, as well as several African nations.

“When millions of people are going hungry, it’s a crime against humanity that food should be diverted to biofuels,” Indian Finance Minister Palaniappan Chidambaram said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal.

UN Special Rapporteur for the Right to Food Jean Ziegler also used the repeated the “crime against humanity" phrase in an interview with Berlin radio.

When the move to boost biofuel production started, it made sense to use surplus sugar and tallow (waste animal fat) as biofuel feedstock. But the growth of the biofuels sector has been so fast that it has produced unintended consequences.

It is clear now that producing fuels from food crops, or from ground that can be cultivated for food crops, or from palm oil plantations in cleared rainforests, is neither environmentally nor socially responsible.

Biofuels advocates must now look to “second-generation” feedstocks such as algae, crops grown on land not suitable for normal agriculture, and cellulosic technology, which can be applied to non-food crops such as grasses and to waste products such as food scraps and grain crop stubbles.

Even most environmentalists are now saying that current biofuels policies are mistaken. The time has come to abandon these misguided schemes.

(Courtesy of PetroleumNews.net - Home)

Gday,I have been involved with agriculture all my life and during the past 40 years farmers have endured a declineing terms of trade.This situation has resulted in bigger farms, bigger machinerey and less farmers to increase farmers efficiency.I am sorry if i upset any consumers out there but our food has been too cheap when you factor the true cost of growing food and the cost to the soil and environment.An example of how we have mined our soil.Years ago farmers in north west NSW grew prime hard wheat without any fertilizer.They still grow prime hard wheat but they have to use fertilizer if they want a decent yield. regards Westwinds

Funny how they dont mention what the rising cost of fosil fuel has had on food costs. Crops can be used for biofuel production. Crops can also be used to feed cattle. It takes a lot more grain than what you get beef. Why do these reports not also suggest people become vegatarian so there is more grain to go around?

It seems like its a brainwashing attempt that biofuels are bad. (say what you want, repeat until people start to believe it)

There have always been starving people in the world, but I think the problem is that they cant afford food, while other cultures can afford to feed their animals on it. Biofuels are only contributing to problem, along with rising fossil fuel costs, beef production, and whatever causes the west to be so rich while other parts of the world is so poor.

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cheers
Chris.
1990 landcruiser 80, 1HD-T two tank, copper pipe HE+ 20 plate FPHE, toyota solenoids and filters. 1978 300D, elsbett one tank system.

Sorry Captain Echidna, but the article does mention rising fossil fuel costs - "these factors include financial market speculation, high energy prices and increased demand for food", but by using the term 'energy' they nicely hide it from the average Joe who might read this.

The two main staple grains that are in short supply and are causing food riots, rationing, export restrictions and the like are RICE and WHEAT.

The main staple in short supply is rice, I do not know of any biofuels made from rice. Very little ethanol is made from wheat, it is mostly made from maize in the U.S.

I have already run into two programmed dumb-asses that started in about me running my truck on biodiesel. I have had to stop them in mid-sentence, "the oil has already be run through the food chain, I'm using a waste product". The one fellow just kept on, he couldn't grasp, or didn't want to know the truth. I just told him to go think about it.

The PTB can get away with anything in our society as so many people have lost any power of discernment. Let the Die-Off begin, we need a serious culling of fools.

AMEN brother, bring on survival of the fittest the fools have had it too easy to long.

Lately i had a toss try to tell me i was de-forresting South America by running BioDiesel while he trim and proper ran LPG thought he was top dog and didn't believe me when i told him what LPG stands for and that it is still a fossil fuel.
Oh well bring the revolution on baby. See how good his LPG is then....

__________________
Cheers
Nick.

Roidio 2001 Holden Rodeo 4x4 2.8L TD. 2.5" Straight through exhaust sytem, heat exchanger shower system. 2" Body Lift,
And lots of fruit, B100 for 25,000 no problems.

Elsa 1983 Mercedes-Benz W123 300D. The Fastest Merc in Oz, Loving B100 Burgers

There is no argament that biofuels have caused food shortages in places like mexico but everyone is going to look at things thru what suits what they want to belve dispite the tru facts. making biodiesel from old used oil by home makers is different to making it on a big scale to sell like regular fuel. lots of plants in australia and other parts of the world have shut up becuase they themselfs have made the price of the feed material too high so you cannot say that this fuel has not affected the price of food or the amount available at a prices the poor people cant afford anymore.

"so you cannot say that this fuel has not affected the price of food or the amount available at a prices the poor people cant afford anymore."

When Malaysia started having problems with too much palm oil being devoted to biodiesel and not food, they stopped it. No more plants.

In Oz, I was involved in a couple of commercial projects. It became very clear to me years ago that there was never going to be enough feedstock for the plants. Even the tallow was becoming difficult to obtain. The plants are now out of production, so how does a non-producing biodiesel plant affect the food supply?
Biodiesel is not made from RICE, it is not made from CORN, it is not made from WHEAT. Those are the main staples that are in short supply.

You may wish to read the link in my last post in the Peak Oil thread.

Good luck on your future.

Okay, so I make all my bio from ricebran oil. Where does that come from? I have to add, that (of course) I use recycled oil (WVO) from a restaurant.

So in fact the fuel producktion DID affect the food supply! What about the places that making more money from teh fuel that havent stoped making the fuel plants?

They wouldn't but all the plants that ARE making bio fuel affect it. You are either trying to be sarcastic and clever or you are choosing to ignore obvius things just to look rite.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Rice bran oil is the oil extracted from the germ and inner husk of rice.

Food vs fuel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Food vs fuel concerns the competition between food and fuel on a global scale. Biofuel production has increased in recent years. Some commodities like maize or vegetable oil can be used either as food or to make fuel. Land that was also formerly used to grow other crops is now used to grow maize for biofuels.

I think what you say cant be trusted and you are more interested in trying to be rite when it suits you than tell the reel facts. i dont no if they make bio from rice bran oil or not but i dont see why they couldnt as the post above shows. if rice makes oil then i think they would make bio with it.

Maize is Corn and they make ethanol with it so you are trying to make your point and hide the facts again here because ethanol is a biofuel to and I read about how there is trouble in mexico because the corn is now used to make ethanol and not going to them for food. you are rite about just one thing that corn is in short supply and biofuels have caused it in at least some places and if you are going to be honest you have to admit that.

thanks anyway. I think you already made my argyament better than you made yours.

maybee you would like to read this tho that came out yesterday
Biofuel: the burning question - Environment - The Independent