Chris Mooney is a visiting associate in the 
This week at Next Generation Energy we're taking on the question of input and output. Can we--and should we--balance the production of biofuels with food production? And to add complexity, I'm asked to forecast our transportation needs down the line and predict whether sustainable biofuels will play a role. Tall order, eh?
A recent world bank report leaked to The Guardian suggests that biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75%. But really, have biofuels acted independently? Doubtful. While it's possible their production has contributed to the high costs we're seeing today, the principle culprit is likely investors' over speculation in other markets.
And further down the page:
The thing is, we must come up with some other way of doing energy now. It's no longer just about a green environment... our cultural perspective has changed. For the first time, we're seeing shifts in behavior driven by fuel prices. As far as cars, bigger is no longer better, while compact and fuel efficient is sexy. As oil is nearing $150 per barrel, there's an economic incentive to make certain choices and we can either structure that in government through tax incentives or its going to happen regardless. We've passed peak oil and possibly peak coal... It's a brave new world.
I make the case why things have to fundamentally change or we won't move... Figurative and literally. But don't jump into the discussion before reading my full post here.
Environment
Comments
I think we need to get out of the 'someone will fix the problem for us' mentality. We need to start doing for ourselves, just like our ancestors. We need to grow, at least in part, our own food. We need to get off our asses and walk more. We need to stop designing stuff that requires a car in order to get to it. We need to fuel our cars from electricity we produce our selves, or compressed air. We need to be our own energy company. We need to take back our power and decide how we can manage on our own and stop depending on the government and corporations to solve our problems. They wont. We can.
Posted by: Richard | July 18, 2008 5:46 PM
Can we--and should we--balance the production of biofuels with food production?We have a moral obligation to ensure that food production comes first. There are suitable options for alternative energy, without resorting to biofuels from food crops. The Pickens Plan outlines one option, and it can easily be expanded/modified.
Posted by: TomJoe | July 21, 2008 12:45 PM