Feeding Our Cars

From Tim Worstall...

It's something of a downer for the democratic system when an authoritarian one ends up making the correct decision:

China’s communist rulers announced a moratorium on the production of ethanol from corn and other food crops yesterday at the very time that Western leaders are rushing to embrace alternative food-based fuel technology.

Beijing’s move underlines concerns that ethanol production is driving up rapidly the costs of corn and grain. It appears to reflect a growing reality about food-based alternative fuel: it is far more expensive both economically and environmentally, than Western politicians are likely to admit.

Well I'm glad somebody is finally saying it.
It's a debate that needs a lot more coverage. I've found it a little scary lately how the Green Revolution is turning into the search for Black Gold.

And here's another thing. What about the water?

While the ethanol industry claims that each gallon of ethanol produced consumes three gallons of water, a 2005 Minnesota study showed the ratio was more like 4.5 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol. As more areas see falling water tables due to excessive use and insufficient rainfall to replenish aquifers, the issue of ethanol production is likely to become an even bigger issue.

But that is just the amount of water sued to produce the ethanol from the corn, not the corn itself.