The Spectacle Blog
That’s after I relayed yesterday that the U.S. burns “only” 25 percent of its corn as biofuels, which Associated Press insinuated was no big deal. Now this from the New York Times:
Each year, an ever larger portion of the world’s crops - cassava and corn, sugar and palm oil - is being diverted for biofuels as developed countries pass laws mandating greater use of nonfossil fuels and as emerging powerhouses like China seek new sources of energy to keep their cars and industries running….
But with food prices rising sharply in recent months, many experts are calling on countries to scale back their headlong rush into green fuel development, arguing that the combination of ambitious biofuel targets and mediocre harvests of some crucial crops is contributing to high prices, hunger and political instability.
This year, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that its index of food prices was the highest in its more than 20 years of existence. Prices rose 15 percent from October to January alone, potentially “throwing an additional 44 million people in low- and middle-income countries into poverty,” the World Bank said.
Soaring food prices have caused riots or contributed to political turmoil in a host of poor countries in recent months, including Algeria, Egypt and Bangladesh, where palm oil, a common biofuel ingredient, provides crucial nutrition to a desperately poor populace. During the second half of 2010, the price of corn rose steeply - 73 percent in the United States - an increase that the United Nations World Food Program attributed in part to the greater use of American corn for bioethanol.
This after the AP reported yesterday:
Ethanol producers acknowledge they’ve increased demand for corn but say it’s not enough to affect food prices.
Matt Hartwig, a spokesman for the Renewable Fuels Association, said the ethanol industry only uses about 25 percent of the nation’s corn supply.
So who are you going to believe: the UN World Food Program, or a flack for the Renewable Fuels Association? I know, some choice.
Pete| 4.7.11 @ 10:14AM
Some choice. Two organizations that are rotten to the core. But I do acknowledge the humor in this since the Obamites love world organizations so much.
Irish22| 4.7.11 @ 10:49AM
Again we see the destructive effects of governments mandating the products that consumers can use. As usual, the wrath of their good intentions is visited on those least able to defend themselves.
Oldefarte| 4.7.11 @ 10:53AM
Any intelligent person knows the truth. We're being starved to death due to these morons' insistance upon a world of GREEN ENERGY. Additionally is their elimination of desperately needed energy sources to conduct our everyday lives. Every mode of transportation, every manufacturing facility, every public utility, every household, etc depends upon OIL, and for these current governmental leaders to be promoting policies/procedures that substantially reduce/eliminate our known sources of oil in this country should be considered traitorous and criminally punishable!!!!!!!!!!
Jonah| 4.7.11 @ 12:24PM
Sarah Palin warned about inflation months ago.
PattyMor| 4.7.11 @ 12:42PM
Baloney. Using corn for ethanol has a direct link to the riots in Africa and the Middle East and the rapid rise in food prices here in the U.S. Is this a deliberate strategy to destabilize the world sitting at the edge of starvation? If not it sure looks like it.
Stan Redmond| 4.7.11 @ 12:44PM
Who cares if people are starving around the world. I sleep very comfortably at night knowing I'm doing my part to save the planet by putting their food in my car to reduce my carbon footprint and end global warming. And isn't that what is really important with all these mandates and subsidies?
Produce Department Report | 9.12.12 @ 2:41PM
I was looking at some world ag products statistics and it shocking how dominant the US is in most ares. We export 54% of total corn exports of the world in 2010! Increasingly we are exporting more to China and right now they are buying up all possible bio feeds. In my opinion it would not take a very large adverse effect to send food prices soaring and cause major civil unrest. www.producedepartmentreport.blogspot.com