alt.energy.renewable

calderhome@yahoo.com wrote:
> The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) may call
> for an end to biofuel production at a emergency June 3rd meeting of
> world leaders. Biofuel production, which is turning vast mountains of
> food into fuel, is starving people all over the world as well as
> speeding global warming and causing water pollution and water
> shortages. George W. Bush's Katrina style handling of the US food
> supply is the greatest disaster of the 21st century, and will have a
> final body count in the millions. Future historians may look back and
> remember this dark time as The Great Biofuel Famine.
>
> http://www.nasdaq.com/aspxcontent/NewsStory.aspx?cpath=20080410%5cACQRTT200804100614RTTRADERUSEQUITY_0369.htm&&mypage=newsheadlines&title=FAO:%20High%20Food%20Prices%20To%20Remain%20For%20Now,%20More%20Riots%20Feared
>
> FAO: High Food Prices To Remain For Now, More Riots Feared
>
> (RTTNews) - The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has
> warned of riots over food shortages in some countries while noting
> that global commodity prices would remain high for now owing to
> imbalances in supply-demand and blamed wrong policies of the last two
> decades for the present crisis.
>
> FAO Director General Jacques Diouf told reporters after meeting
> India's agriculture minister in New Delhi on Wednesday that the rise
> in prices of food commodities all over the world, is not going to
> "ease in the short term in view of supply-demand situation."
>
> Diouf also blamed wrong policies of the last two decades for the
> present crisis and said FAO had warned about this earlier. "We are
> paying the consequences of wrong policies over the last 10-20 years.
> Addressing the first Global Agro Industries Forum, Diouf said the
> world grain stocks are at its lowest since 1980s with just 4-5 million
> tons of cereals stocks that can feed the global population for only
> 8-12 weeks.
>
> "The world food situation is very serious today with food riots
> reported from many countries like Egypt, Cameroon, Haiti, Burkina Faso
> and Senegal. We fear that this may spread to many more countries," he
> added.
>
> Diouf attributed rising commodity prices across the world to
> increasing demand from the developing countries, particularly in China
> and India, and diversion of food grains towards production of bio-
> fuels. The rising income level of people in developing economies is
> driving up the food demand. He noted that people in the developing
> countries spend 50-60 percent of their income on food and therefore
> any rise in the food prices seriously affects them.
>
> The FAO Director General said that FAO has called an emergency meeting
> of head of states during June 3-5 to discuss the overall situation
> including impact of climate change. Diouf said the meet would also
> discuss whether to stop biofuel production in the developed countries,
> which are diverting food grains for fuel.
>
> Without naming the U.S., Diouf said currently 100 million tons of
> cereals are being diverted for biofuel production in one country and
> the quantity is estimated to increase 12-fold by 2017.
> The FAO also asked world community to bring structural changes. "The
> situation (food shortages) is due to a structural problem and a
> decision requires to be taken at the structural level across the
> world."
> The supply of food grains has been affected by drought in Australia
> and Kazakhstan, flood in India and Bangladesh, cold temperature in
> China, besides climate change.
>
> Diouf suggested raising productivity level of crops, investment in
> rural areas and better water management to increase food production.
> On his views about GM crops to increase production, he said the member
> countries are divided on the issue. So far as GM issue is concerned,
> FAO follows the WHO and Codex standards of food products.
> - - - - -
>
> For more biofuel disaster news, see: http://home.att.net/~meditation/biofuel-news.html
>
> For biofuel facts, see: http://home.att.net/~meditation/bio-fuel-hoax.html
>
> Christopher Calder

I was reading a book on the production of methanol instead of ethanol
and comparing the overall technologies. Production of methanol seems
to be a much better situation to work toward. Currently methanol runs
about $1.85/gal. and requires only the organic garbage, the cellulose
leavings from crops, not the food stuff. You can even use coal.

Miles "Sane Alternatives" Long