Something to consider: ethanol as starvation.

[awils1]

I was originally going to post this in my so_very_doomed round-up, but after reviewing it, I felt it a better fit here, in amongst the oil talk.

Agriculture and Food in Crisis: An Overview-“In 2008 some 30 percent of the entire corn crop in the United States was used to produce ethanol to blend with gasoline to fuel cars. Estimates of how much ethanol

Comments

[spiritof1976]

Between 5 and 80 percent? Ouch, that's a pretty huge margin of error.

[awils1]

I think it's more of a question of “who do you want to believe”, personally, and common sense-the price would rise, as food became fuel.

[msretro]

Go look up what portion of the corn crop in the US went to feed animals.

Ethanol is nowhere near as big a problem, food supply wise, as eating meat at every meal.

[awils1]

I'm fully aware of that, thanks. Are we playing the peak oil Olympics, in which the broken system's broken elements are ranked in a hierarchy?

The same essay and one of the authors offers The World Food Crisis: Sources and Solutions as a footnote, which details the rise in corn prices beginning in 2007 and the exponential rise in meat production since 1961 (71 million tons) to 2007 (~284 million tons).

what big oil wants people to think

[anonymous]

There are many myths to ethanol.
Starvation is what big oil wants people to think.
take a look at http://www.permaculture.com/

Re: what big oil wants people to think

[awils1]

Not in this case. I doubt the Monthly Review has been influenced by big oil, and as a result, is much more concerned about the corn crop being diverted to become an oil-substitute, as well as being fearful of a torrid circle of corn ---> meat ---> land devastation ---> starvation and corn ---> ethanol ---> fuel prioritising ---> starvation.

Thank you for the link, regardless! I'm fully of the opinion that becoming vegetarian, utilising alternative power sources, and looking after the starving is the only possible solution; if there is one.