A Good Idea Gone Bad
The devastation of The Earth by the pursuit for renewable energy sources, namely biofuel.
I can’t help but notice there is a rice shortage in The Philippines and the government is having to import a shortfall of 2.7 million metric tons of foreign grown rice.
But there is no shortage of biofuel. I do not see much consumption or sales of biodiesel inside the city center, but on the outskirts and further from town I routinely see jeepneys pulled over to the side of the road buying several liters of biodiesel. It is cheaper than refueling at the pumps.
Apparently the biofuel suppliers make more money from dedicating their land to producing biofuel than they do from growing rice, so it is a simple decision for land-owners to convert crop land to biofuel crops.
As a result, The Philippines cannot grow enough rice to feed its people.
The consequences of large-scale production of biofuels was never given due consideration. Now the World in entrenched in a path that surely will lead to disaster. World leaders are still talking about the greener World that biofuels will provide us, even while their people are beginning to starve.
It was a great idea to start with. The consumption of gasoline, diesel and or biofuels releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, which is a green house gas and is at its highest levels in over 10,000 years is largely considered to be the main contributor to a Global Warming crisis. Biofuel crops suck this carbon out of the atmosphere, recycling the carbon dioxide, acting as a carbon dioxide sink.
Biofuels are actually the original fuel for vehicles. Otto, the German inventor of the internal combustion engine had it running on ethanol. Diesel’s engine ran on peanut oil, and Ford’s Model-T ran on hemp-based biofuel.
The idea of biofuels resurged during the the oil crisis of the 70’s, when there were still abundant lands that could be used to grow biofuels. Biofuels did not really become popular until the last decade though.
Food prices are soaring all over the World. Why? Because lands that used to be used for food production for people are now being used to create biofuels, because there is more money in biofuel crop production than there is food production. That’s going to change now, with souring food prices, slowly agricultural land will turn back towards food production, but not before millions starve, and only if food prices continue to rise.
40% of the tropical rain forests of the Amazon have been turned into biofuel production. These forests were razed an then burned, Their carbon dioxide sinks destroyed, released into the atmosphere. It will take more than 100 years of biofuel production on that land to reach a carbon dioxide balance. At the cost of the extinction of countless species, and millions of human lives due to starvation.
The price of 1st Grade Rice in The Philippines is now at 36 to 37 pesos per kilo. A year ago the price was 28 pesos per kilo. I do not expect a turn around until the price per kilo of rice hits 60 pesos or more per kilo for 1st grade race.
Another problem The Philippines has is the tenancy to subsidize fuel and food prices, subsidizing pricing to keep them low and affordable by the masses, not understanding the full impact of market forces, as if the Philippine government can insulate its populate via price controls from the wold market fluctuations. This is an insane political tactic. The price will be what the price will be….let it be.
In 1998 the price of a barrel of oil was less than $12. the lowest oil has ever been. Now, a barrel of oil is selling for ten times that amount, and it is likely go a lot higher before it goes much lower. This will only make food prices keep climbing as more and more land is dedicated to biofuel crops.
I see a human tragedy on the horizon, like the DDT fiasco. DDT was one of the best and most effective insecticides ever invented. However, it carried with it a carcinogenic risk, and as a result was banned, and as a result of that banning millions upon millions of people died from malaria.
Put it this way, you have a 1-in-10,000 chance of getting cancer from the use of DDT. Your child has a 1-in-100 chance of dying of malaria if you don’t use DDT. What would you pick? I say, bring on the DDT. Yet still, millions die each year because we don’t use DDT.
And millions will starve to death because of this stupid bio-fuel craze, this politically correct idea that constitutes genocide. This is one good idea that has gone bad, very bad. If you are on this wagon, please get off.
May 14th, 2008 at 2:13 am
In the Philippines the production of bio fuel is minimal. The farmers can not process whatever they plant into bio-fuel as they do not have the technology.
Most of the larger companies are looking at jathropa and it is not easy to get started as you need permits from 6 government organizations.
Also there is not that much land area available in the quantities needed by investors to have a reasonable production and make it worthwhile.
Jathropa is usually grown on land which is not good for regular food production.
Ethanol in the Philippines is made from sugar cane.
May 17th, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Bio-fuel production in The Philippines is not necessarily a government sanctioned program. I ride around the back country and see bio-fuel stills frequently. This is not regulated production, so you are missing my point. Jeepneys, especially the long haul jeepneys depend on this cheaper fuel. It is more like a moonshine operation than industrial production. Simply, farmers find they can make more money by producing bio-fuel than they can from growing rice. As petroleum prices continue to increase the price of bio-fuel increases and the less land is commmitted to food production. This is not something the government can or will control. This is why it bio-fuels are a disaster in the making.