Comments on: Biofuels Put 30M in Poverty, Oxfam Says http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/ Helping the Earth with Technology Sun, 22 Nov 2009 16:42:50 +0000 http://wordpress.com/ hourly 1 By: Ken http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13292 Ken Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:27:35 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13292 <p>I forgot to include in that last paragraph... whatever we <em>leave</em> in the ground now, will be worth 10x more in the future. Consider <em>that</em> as a smart investment.</p> I forgot to include in that last paragraph… whatever we leave in the ground now, will be worth 10x more in the future. Consider that as a smart investment.

]]> By: Ken http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13291 Ken Wed, 02 Jul 2008 02:21:39 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13291 <p>The link between food and fuel prices should have been predicted long ago. Food IS fuel, and fuel WAS food. And it all came from the sun.</p> <p>The only reason this connection was ignored until now was because of the accessibility to abundant fossil fuel. The cost of fuel and food both will never decline again, until we engineer more cost-effective alternative energy, and become more efficient in many ways. Until then, higher costs will be the only protection against all fossil fuel being used up as quickly as civilization can suck or dig it out of the ground.</p> <p>Invest/pay now, or pay 10x later. Not to mention in our currently paranoicly terrorized state, it will be 10x better to hand our billions of energy dollars to our own farmers than to foreign, terrorist producing authoritarianist.</p> The link between food and fuel prices should have been predicted long ago. Food IS fuel, and fuel WAS food. And it all came from the sun.

The only reason this connection was ignored until now was because of the accessibility to abundant fossil fuel. The cost of fuel and food both will never decline again, until we engineer more cost-effective alternative energy, and become more efficient in many ways. Until then, higher costs will be the only protection against all fossil fuel being used up as quickly as civilization can suck or dig it out of the ground.

Invest/pay now, or pay 10x later. Not to mention in our currently paranoicly terrorized state, it will be 10x better to hand our billions of energy dollars to our own farmers than to foreign, terrorist producing authoritarianist.

]]> By: ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS PICKS « The Conservation Report http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13203 ENVIRONMENTAL NEWS PICKS « The Conservation Report Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:25:21 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13203 <p>[...] Biofuels put 30M in poverty, Oxfam says, Algae-to-fuel project could get tryout in Holland, Billion acres of fallow farmland could grow [...]</p> [...] Biofuels put 30M in poverty, Oxfam says, Algae-to-fuel project could get tryout in Holland, Billion acres of fallow farmland could grow [...]

]]> By: Tim H. http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13169 Tim H. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 18:05:58 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13169 <p>Food prices are going up because of oil speculation and grain speculation, which itself is tied to oil prices and global warming. As long as people naively swallow propaganda generated by the carbon industries (like this article), there is no hope for our society! We get the government we deserve.</p> Food prices are going up because of oil speculation and grain speculation, which itself is tied to oil prices and global warming. As long as people naively swallow propaganda generated by the carbon industries (like this article), there is no hope for our society! We get the government we deserve.

]]> By: Ben Sure http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13164 Ben Sure Sun, 29 Jun 2008 14:04:53 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13164 <p>In response to JB's statement the "politicians are dumb", a warning: Politicians are not dumb. They are self motivated, crappy at their sworn jobs, and often corrupt. But I agree with your suggestion wholeheartedly.</p> In response to JB’s statement the “politicians are dumb”, a warning: Politicians are not dumb. They are self motivated, crappy at their sworn jobs, and often corrupt. But I agree with your suggestion wholeheartedly.

]]> By: Jeff D. http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13154 Jeff D. Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:47:16 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13154 <p>Keep a close eye on the "pinch points" in the oil shipping lanes. A single terrorist attack on a single tanker could send world governments scrambling to "do something" - and now! - about our oil dependency. Biofuels would doubtless be one idea that gets more funding and mandate because of the momentum it's already got.</p> <p>And there's precedent for such an attack: http://www.godlessmaniac.com/oil-pirates/</p> Keep a close eye on the “pinch points” in the oil shipping lanes. A single terrorist attack on a single tanker could send world governments scrambling to “do something” – and now! – about our oil dependency. Biofuels would doubtless be one idea that gets more funding and mandate because of the momentum it’s already got.

And there’s precedent for such an attack:
http://www.godlessmaniac.com/oil-pirates/

]]> By: Pinch points and oil pirates at Godless Maniac http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13153 Pinch points and oil pirates at Godless Maniac Sun, 29 Jun 2008 04:44:30 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13153 <p>[...] for instance? Would there be massive public investment in biofuels at further detriment to the hungry stomachs of the world’s poor, causing more food riots? And what would massive, emergency, deficit spending do to the value of [...]</p> [...] for instance? Would there be massive public investment in biofuels at further detriment to the hungry stomachs of the world’s poor, causing more food riots? And what would massive, emergency, deficit spending do to the value of [...]

]]> By: John Smith http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13150 John Smith Sun, 29 Jun 2008 02:59:43 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13150 <p>There's a lot of promise in algae, which can generate far more oil per acre than any other plant source (and you can build vertical algae farms). Let's be careful not to dismiss "all" bio-fuels with one fell swoop (algae waste products can be used as feed or fertilizer as well).</p> There’s a lot of promise in algae, which can generate far more oil per acre than any other plant source (and you can build vertical algae farms). Let’s be careful not to dismiss “all” bio-fuels with one fell swoop (algae waste products can be used as feed or fertilizer as well).

]]> By: JB http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13142 JB Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:07:42 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13142 <p>"But we have to do something! We have to do something!", the politicians cry. They could commit suicide and that would be doing something. And that would actually have tangible benefits. Government is dumb.</p> “But we have to do something! We have to do something!”, the politicians cry. They could commit suicide and that would be doing something. And that would actually have tangible benefits. Government is dumb.

]]> By: Deep Patel http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13058 Deep Patel Fri, 27 Jun 2008 02:16:53 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13058 <p>Lets stop using our food crops as a source of fuel and refocus our line of thinking in turning waste into energy. Waste is already a problem, we have an abundance of it and there is a lot of untapped energy in our own waste. Waste2Energy is what I support.</p> Lets stop using our food crops as a source of fuel and refocus our line of thinking in turning waste into energy. Waste is already a problem, we have an abundance of it and there is a lot of untapped energy in our own waste. Waste2Energy is what I support.

]]> By: cianodonovan.com :: Entries :: Biofuels put 30m in poverty - Oxfam - Cian O'Donovan - Ee-K-er! http://earth2tech.com/2008/06/25/biofuels-put-30m-in-poverty-oxfam-says/#comment-13022 cianodonovan.com :: Entries :: Biofuels put 30m in poverty - Oxfam - Cian O'Donovan - Ee-K-er! Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:31:13 +0000 http://earth2tech.com/?p=2580#comment-13022 <p>[...] Earth2Tech reported this yesterday. The number is staggering. And further on in piece they highlight another heinous issue related to biofuels that is going largely unreported. The CO2 impact of the palm oil plantations. The report goes beyond the humanitarian consequences and puts numbers to the environmental boondoggle that is the current biofuel economy. Oxfam estimates that land-use changes largely from the palm oil plantations that have popped up around the world’s equator, are emitting a huge amount of CO2, and it will take 46 years of projected 2020-level biofuel use to make up a “carbon debt.” [...]</p> [...] Earth2Tech reported this yesterday. The number is staggering. And further on in piece they highlight another heinous issue related to biofuels that is going largely unreported. The CO2 impact of the palm oil plantations. The report goes beyond the humanitarian consequences and puts numbers to the environmental boondoggle that is the current biofuel economy. Oxfam estimates that land-use changes largely from the palm oil plantations that have popped up around the world’s equator, are emitting a huge amount of CO2, and it will take 46 years of projected 2020-level biofuel use to make up a “carbon debt.” [...]

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