Corn ethanol is NOT an alternative to gasoline. Here is a small review just published in Science - if you click on the image, it will enlarge to a readable size. I think the US government must be pushing corn ethanol as a fossil fuel alternative to boost the US agricultural industry. Frankly, the alternative to gasoline, is to decrease our dependency through hybrids and electric vehicles. Happy reading:
"Most biofuels reduce greenhouse-gas emissions by more than 30% relative to gasoline. But nearly half of the biofuels - including the economically most important ones, namely U.S. corn ethanol, Brazilian sugarcane ethanol and soy diesel, and Malaysian palm-oil diesel - have greater aggregate environmental costs than do fossil fuels. Biofuels that fare best are those produced from residual products, such as biowaste or recycled cooking oil, as well as ethanol from grass or wood."
3 comments:
I was glad to see that this got some attention in the wider press -- but not nearly enough. Given this country's bizarre relationship with corn, I can't imagine that on any level it's a good idea to become more dependent on it.
i agree rachel. it's a hot topic with bush because it sounds like he is pro-green, but frankly, i think it's solely pro-farming. we are watching government money focusing on corn ethanol (which is so much worse in the long-run than gasoline) rather than driving the US automobile industry to have higher emissions and mileage standards. . . it's very frustrating to hear and watch happen.
Yes, good on ya for highlighting another troubling undercurrent in the "green" movement. I've said before, and I'll say again - sometimes I think till I'm blue in the face - that in addition to hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles and the like, what we really need is more bicycles, and walking, and thrift stores, and homemade gifts, et al. And we need it, um, yesterday.
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