when we grow crops to make renewable
fuels like corn based ethanol we might
be diverting resources away from our own
food supply in 2011 almost all biofuels
produced and consumed worldwide were
made from food crops manufacturers
ferment starches from corn and sugars
from beets and sugarcane to create
ethanol and fermented oils from soybeans
and palm fruits become biodiesel in the
past decade worldwide biofuel production
has increased fivefold most of that
biofuel was ethanol most of that ethanol
was produced in the US and most of that
was derived from corn all this growth
has diverted a large percentage of the
world’s corn away from other uses
putting an even greater strain on the
global food supply and making countries
that rely heavily on imports more
vulnerable
let’s take Mexico for example when NAFTA
eased restrictions on trade in 1994
Mexico went from importing 8% of its
corn from the u.s. to importing more
than a third of it in 2012 any change in
the price of corn in the u.s. now
impacts Mexico directly this is
especially true of a staple food for
millions of Americans tortillas since
the cost of corn accounts for roughly 60
percent of their final price tag in 2007
when the price of tortillas rose to
levels that made this everyday food
unaffordable for many riots broke out
forcing the Mexican government to
intervene and control prices situations
like these may be on the rise today only
4% of the world’s vehicles run on
biofuel but the European Union Brazil
and US government’s are pushing to
increase production so as we race to
meet the demand for renewable energy
sources the food vs. fuel debate will
only become more critical
fuels like corn based ethanol we might
be diverting resources away from our own
food supply in 2011 almost all biofuels
produced and consumed worldwide were
made from food crops manufacturers
ferment starches from corn and sugars
from beets and sugarcane to create
ethanol and fermented oils from soybeans
and palm fruits become biodiesel in the
past decade worldwide biofuel production
has increased fivefold most of that
biofuel was ethanol most of that ethanol
was produced in the US and most of that
was derived from corn all this growth
has diverted a large percentage of the
world’s corn away from other uses
putting an even greater strain on the
global food supply and making countries
that rely heavily on imports more
vulnerable
let’s take Mexico for example when NAFTA
eased restrictions on trade in 1994
Mexico went from importing 8% of its
corn from the u.s. to importing more
than a third of it in 2012 any change in
the price of corn in the u.s. now
impacts Mexico directly this is
especially true of a staple food for
millions of Americans tortillas since
the cost of corn accounts for roughly 60
percent of their final price tag in 2007
when the price of tortillas rose to
levels that made this everyday food
unaffordable for many riots broke out
forcing the Mexican government to
intervene and control prices situations
like these may be on the rise today only
4% of the world’s vehicles run on
biofuel but the European Union Brazil
and US government’s are pushing to
increase production so as we race to
meet the demand for renewable energy
sources the food vs. fuel debate will
only become more critical
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