TIME, April 7, 2008 issue:
I had been feeling guilty that I hadn't filled my gas tank even once with ethanol. My conscious has now been cleared. As it turns out, we are destroying are planet even faster by using biofuels like corn-based ethanol. It's actually better to use oil. Scary, huh? Well, it's true and the government isn't going to do a damn thing to stop it. In fact, in December, the president signed a bipartisan bill that majorly increases support of this market.
So, what's the problem? I'm sure you already heard about corn and soy bean prices being on the rise....here it goes: 1/5 or corn crops are now going to biofuels (supply and demand = higher corn prices,) soybean farmers are switching to corn (driving up the market's cost) and now, places like Brazil are destroying the Amazon to cash-in on the soybean market. The soybean crops in Brazil are expanding into cattle fields which displaces the cattle into the Amazon. Now, everyday, more and more grazing lands are being created by clearing the forest.
The results: the carbon emissions are now much higher than what the biofuel payback could ever be -AND- the estimated inflation of people with hunger problems is going to skyrocket.
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