Global Pulse: Biofuel - Another Flawed Policy?

See http://linktv.org/globalpulse
(November 1, 2007) President Bush promised to expand American biofuel production, but the result has been worse than nothing. Corn is a poor source for energy, but growing it and other staples as fuel has caused food prices worldwide to explode - even as the scarcity of flex-fuel vehicles means no significant increase in U.S. biofuel use.

Now the U.N. is worried about rising food costs, while environmentalists see entire regions torn up to grow fuel crops. The great ethanol boom of 2007 goes bust, this week on Global Pulse.

SOURCES: Once Noticias, Latinoamerica News, Mexico; BBC, U.K.; Fox News, NBC News, ABC News, U.S.

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Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• linktv
• globalpulse
• ethanol
• biofuel
• corn
• flexfuel
• Bush

[linktv]

A GLOBAL PULSE Scoop: The great ethanol boom and bust of 2007

President Bush's promise in Brazil to bring ethanol to the US has contributed to skyrocketing food costs worldwide, and amounted to nothing beyond agri-buiness subsidies here at home. This classic example of Bush administration policy gone wrong was barely covered in US mainstream media - kudos to NBC News, whose piece we use in this episode.

[abarzilai664]

As informative as this report is it did not reveal all the facts. What was missing from the report was the politics behind the ethonal craze, esspceilly the fact that it was the Democrats in congress who were among the loudest of voices calling for the production of the feul.

[linktv]

The ridiculous US farm policy was definitely created by both parties and spun out of control under Clinton, if not before that. And now, with Dems in control, the fixes being proposed are slowly getting whittled away. So I cant defend the Democrats. But Bush added that certain something - lack of planning and follow through - that seems his forte.

Will the next administration

[HLMSR]

Thanks to America, this world is going from crisis to crisis.

[cag66]

They shouldn't substidise corn, they should tax oil and coal, to make alternative technology more attractive.

[Hahnenviro]

biofuel or biodiesel is one of the best ways to be carbon neutral. Change needs to come from the companies and government apply regulations.

[eattreats]

how about people get of their fat ass and ride a bike.

[royalcityman]

God Bush is an idiot

[ChemicalMikeUK]

biofuel is NOT clean energy

[teed60]

Soon we will all be riding rickshaw and eating sushi.The cold and safe physics of nuclear power needs more attention as well.

[fastveedub]

Any moron knows that you never have your energy and food sources compete. That is just bad planning. Besides, if they got with the program they would realize that they could use algae to produce these fuels.

[mikehanoo33]

Free energy labeled 'economic terrorism' - The widespread adoption of these new, non-polluting energy and propulsion systems will effectively replace the use of oil, gas, coal, nuclear power, impacting 4.5 trillion dollars a year in world economic activity, replace the current? geo-political order with one based on decentralized abundance. (Examiner; March 21, 2009)

[sokker80ii]

Orange and more stuff can be biofuels

[kayapage]

Non of the biofuel industries yet give evidence that ethanol production has minimal cause of pollution than fossil fuels....

[emforty2]

biofuel will just pollute the land and water instead of the air

biofuel= environmental disaster