Did you know that if corn is used for gas the price of poltry (corn used as animal feed), chips and other foods would be increased?? this would increase corn prices in mexico (a main staple in mexico), and also corn is the main export to starving countries. In theory corn for gas sounds gr8, but in the end it only replace 20% of oil usage. Considering these factors Is it worth it?? In my opinion no.
2007-07-09 10:42:23 · 14 answers · asked by Amaretto 2 in Social Science ➔ Economics
so true, and we are already seeing the effects. It is a mistake to trade food for gas. We could altho use food byproducts or farmwaste to generate biofuels.
right now, I would venture to guess that it only US agrobusiness that could actually produce any great volume of corn for biofuel. That is where you'll see higher feed costs for meat production and hence higher meat prices. Much of the third world crop is point of use, small farms harvested and distributed locally. If economy begins to dictate that those crops or any portion of goes to fuel production to sell in other markets there will be a an additionally big problem.
Additionally: american agro business has already developed special hybrid corns for fuel production, they are intensively farmed, treated with and dependant chemicals for both fertilizers and disease/pest protection. As this type of corn begins to edge out the food types of corn and other food crops well begin to create other food shortages and economic problems. Modern style farming does not create jobs and revitalise communities. It requires very few families to farm thousands of acres of corn. It remains to be seen how biofuel refineries will do in this regard but I think we need a more wholistic approach to the fuel situation. We are limiting ourselves in the scope of our thinking so we can coexist in a petroleum based fuel logic.
2007-07-09 10:45:44 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Where is your source? I think it would create many new farmers and more farms. May not be as healthy for the enviroment, but way better than sucking fossil fuel out of the ground and expelling the gas into the air. And who said that it would be best to import corn when the US and China and several larger first world countries use corn as an export??? Why pay for shipping from some dirt poor country in africa when we have it already? Not to mention we have MORE than enough room to create more farms and make tons more. Besides, Corn for Gas won't be as effective as Hydrogen, which the Swedish have already perfected and plan on going totally public with it very soon. And no other fuel claims to totally replace petrolium oil. Only help reduce CO2 emmissions.
2007-07-09 10:58:15 · answer #2 · answered by Anthony G 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This will increase prices not only for corn but for other crops as well. Farmers will devote more acres to corn production as the price of corn goes up causing less soybeans, wheat, and other crops to be grown. All grain prices will rise as a result.
There is currently a surplus of corn production in the US so this is a good short-term solution to oil. Other solutions would need to be developed in 5-10 years to avoid the type of issues you mention.
2007-07-09 10:50:55 · answer #3 · answered by Truth is elusive 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Humans currently produce too much food, not too little. Trading some corn to replace petroleum products really is not a problem in and of itself.
However, the kind of intensive agriculture that produces such a massive amount of corn is!
As for the 20% replacement figure, why should that be a problem? A system of energy generation need not be based on one source... in fact, it's better if it isn't!
2007-07-09 10:54:47 · answer #4 · answered by Bone Daddy 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's worth it but you have to think of the consequences. If we started to use corn for gas then the demand for corn would go up and there is only a certain amount the US can produce (even if we use every acre of current farmland). We have to import corn from other countries to account for food and fuel.
Also the fact many things depend on corn and it by-products. Feed for cattle and chickens, grain for alcohol, corn for humans. So less corn/feed for cattle means less cows and higher beef price.
Also if there is any significant drop in the supply of corn (floods, droughts, tornadoes, pests, alien attack, whatever) it could send prices to astronomical levels.
2007-07-09 11:35:52 · answer #5 · answered by crimsonedge 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Corn is used in nearly everything. Most human food, plastic, etc, etc. Farmers are actually paid not to grow corn to keep prices up! I agree with you that we shouldn't be using corn for gas, though. We need to be working on other ways to get energy.
2007-07-09 10:48:00 · answer #6 · answered by squeeky714 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Corn is not even the best crop to use for bio-fuel. Sugar cane is. It won't have nearly the negative affect on the economy.
3 times more fuel can be produced from the same acerage.
Yet another scam to make some rich people richer. This time it's farmers.
2007-07-09 11:52:50 · answer #7 · answered by Victor S 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Yep and if the price of corn goes up, more people will grow it because they'll make money. Then the supply will go up and the price will go back down.... it may fluctuate here and there, but in the end, we'll just make more corn.
2007-07-09 11:05:58 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Corn can been grown for fuel without affecting the world food source. I promise. Perhaps it will become attractive enough crop to convince some tobacco farmers to grow corn!!
2007-07-09 10:52:23 · answer #9 · answered by thirsty mind 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I live in Mississippi, and I can see some of that happening already. Where there were rice, soybean, and cotton fields, there is now corn. So, it will raise prices for those items, as well.
I would have no problem with that if it weren't being subsidized. If it can't stand on its own as a product, we shouldn't be subsidizing it.
2007-07-09 12:28:41 · answer #10 · answered by desotobrave 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋