I really did want to start the week with some hopeful news. Then I picked up the New York Times and, while not good news, at least there is a small (albeit bitter) measure of vindication. You see, I’ve been warning about the dangers of speeding down the biofuels highway (especially corn ethanol) to anyone who will listen. Why? Well, don’t listen to me; here is what ‘Priced Out of the Market‘ says –
The world’s food situation is bleak, and shortsighted policies in the United States and other wealthy countries — which are diverting crops to environmentally dubious biofuels — bear much of the blame.
[The global farmers movement, Via Campesina, has just put out a short analysis of the situation. See what farmers are saying about biofuels – Download global-food-via-campesina.pdf]
You see, with more of us eating higher on the food chain (i.e. meat), especially Indians and Chinese, the demand on grain for animal feed was already increasing. Now, the rich world’s appetite for liquid fuel made from plants (biofuels) is pushing up the price of food.