[Terrapreta] ethanol media blitz

[Duane Pendergast]

If only they would listen to the naive innocents who have pointed out the
emperor has no clothes, before rushing off to put bogus policy in place.

 

Duane

 


December 26, 2004 - Grain stove presents paradox


A discussion with an entrepreneur promoting the use of waste oil from -
biological sources - for diesel fuel led me to the web for more information.
I discovered that several companies are actually promoting the burning of
grain as a source of heat. It seems incongruous that the rich nations can
use fossil fuel energy to produce food grain so cheaply it can actually be
burned while people in poorer nations starve. A letter
<http://www.computare.org/Support%20documents/Letters/Letters%202003/Grain%2
0stove%2003_12.htm>  to the editor of the Lethbridge Herald was spurred by
an article on food production in Ethiopia. It was fittingly published on
Boxing day for contemplation - after sleeping off our Christmas dinners.
(DRP 04/01/15)


July 17, 2006 - Environmental organizations mixed up over oil and water


There is much discussion these days about providing "green" climate friendly
fuels for our cars and trucks. Part of the rationale is that the carbon
dioxide  from burning recently grown plants will be reabsorbed by new
growth.

Promoters of this concept never point out that plants do not distinguish
between the carbon dioxide from recently grown plants or those which were
turned into oil and natural gas eons ago by Mother Nature. Nor do they pay
any attention to the possibility  that land, soil, fertilizer, and water
supplies are already somewhat stretched to produce food for the top predator
- humans. What will happen to the cost of food supplies if we implement
policy to feed the voracious appetite of our transportation system? Our
government seems poised to do just that, with a recent pledge
<http://www.conservative.ca/EN/1004/41879>  to "merge environmental goals
with those of agriculture by requiring an average of 5 percent renewable
fuel content in Canadian fuel by 2010".

The governments commitment, if implemented, will actually not have much
effect on  emissions from transport. Carbon dioxide will still be be pumped
from our cars exhaust pipes. There is a real question as to whether our
agricultural system can generate sufficient regrowth to sustain the
assumption that new plant growth will be able to compensate for burning
bio-fuels without major additional energy input.

Computare has raised questions on the use of food resources for fuel before
<http://www.computare.org/Support%20documents/Letters/Letters%202003/Grain%2
0stove%2003_12.htm> .  Environmental organizations, perhaps aided by our
agriculture industry, may be pushing our government into prematurely
implementing policy which will turn out to be a major first misstep. It is
time to begin questioning this policy on the grounds  of sustainability and
environmental impact of all kinds.

A short report
<http://www.computare.org/Support%20documents/Commentary/Oil%20and%20Water%2
006_07.htm> , prepared by Computare, investigates water use to produce oil
from canola seed here in southern Alberta in comparison with water used to
produce tar sands oil. It turns out that oil production by our local farmers
requires thousands of times more water than production of oil from the tar
sands. (DRP 06/07/17)

 

-----Original Message-----
From: terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org
[mailto:terrapreta-bounces at bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of lou gold
Sent: November 30, 2007 1:35 PM
To: Sean K. Barry
Cc: terrapreta at bioenergylists.org
Subject: Re: [Terrapreta] ethanol media blitz

 

And now from the mainstream media....

UPDATE:   

Ethanol Craze Cools as Doubts Multiply
    By Lauren Etter
    The Wall Street Journal
http://www.truthout.org/issues_06/112807EC.shtml 

 

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