The High Cost of Ethanol

Here's an excellent article on exposing the high cost of the government ethanol policy which may end up being one of the greatest mistakes in U.S. history.

As the writer says, "An unholy alliance of environmentalists, agribusiness, biofuel corporations and politicians" has been promoting the fuel as the answer to the alleged environmental problems which it will supposedly be the answer to.

The usual denial of the "unintended consequences is wreaking havoc on the economy, food production and, perhaps most ironically, the environment."

I've said it before on Ethanol Fix, that this is no longer related to science or environmental realities, rather it's being embraced as a religion that requires faith rather than objectivity.

Some of the huge problems related to ethanol:


Increased food prices

Subsidized Corn takes away acres from other crops, increasing those prices

Increased feed prices

Increased meat prices

Employee Layoffs

Plant Closings

Distribution Centers Closing

Pressure on water supply

Ethanol less productive than gasoline as fuel

Hurts environment

Hurts third world

Deforestation across the world

Destruction of wetlands

Destruction of grasslands

Destruction of species

Displacement of small farmers and indigienous peoples

Loss of habitats that store carbon

Razing of rain forests


Michael Grunwald, in the latest issue of Time magazine said it this way:

"Deforestation accounts for 20 percent of all current carbon emissions. So unless the world can eliminate emissions from all other sources — cars, power plants, factories, even flatulent cows — it needs to reduce deforestation or risk an environmental catastrophe. That means limiting the expansion of agriculture, a daunting task as the world's population keeps expanding. And saving forests is probably an impossibility so long as vast expanses of cropland are used to grow modest amounts of fuel. The biofuels boom, in short, is one that could haunt the planet for generations — and it's only getting started."

The so-called environmentalists are in reality backing and promoting the destruction of not only the environment, but more importantly: human beings.