Comments on: Global Dilemma: Eat or Drive? http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/environment/global-dilemma-eat-or-drive/ Photos and Front Porch Musing from Floyd County Virginia Mon, 13 Feb 2012 14:37:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Jim http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/environment/global-dilemma-eat-or-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-2570 Jim Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:37:49 +0000 http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/2007/12/21/global-dilemma-eat-or-drive/#comment-2570 I have read that food issues were a distribution problem rather than a supply issue. This comes from 1998 Nobel economist Amartya Sen. Maybe things have changed but surely not dramatically. My personal opinions could be considered callous, but there are over 6 billion people on earth - way too many. A developed society leads to fewer children/family. Can we develop the world? If you feed the 2 billion you cited, will they have large families and continue the trend of overpopulation and resource strain? I have read that food issues were a distribution problem rather than a supply issue. This comes from 1998 Nobel economist Amartya Sen. Maybe things have changed but surely not dramatically.

My personal opinions could be considered callous, but there are over 6 billion people on earth – way too many. A developed society leads to fewer children/family. Can we develop the world? If you feed the 2 billion you cited, will they have large families and continue the trend of overpopulation and resource strain?

]]> By: Biofuelsimon http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/environment/global-dilemma-eat-or-drive/comment-page-1/#comment-2569 Biofuelsimon Fri, 21 Dec 2007 15:33:11 +0000 http://www.fragmentsfromfloyd.com/2007/12/21/global-dilemma-eat-or-drive/#comment-2569 The US produced around 5 billion gallons of ethanol last year from somewhere between 17 and 20% of the corn crop. That equates to about the amount of gasoline wasted by US drivers sitting in traffic jams in 2003. In 2007 the US will have used around 179billon gallons of gasoline to power its motor vehicles in 2006. There needs to be much greater fuel economy and the new CAFE standards announced earlier in the week will help to some extent, but using corn to make fuel is like burning antique furniture to keep warm. It works but comes at a high price. The US produced around 5 billion gallons of ethanol last year from somewhere between 17 and 20% of the corn crop. That equates to about the amount of gasoline wasted by US drivers sitting in traffic jams in 2003. In 2007 the US will have used around 179billon gallons of gasoline to power its motor vehicles in 2006. There needs to be much greater fuel economy and the new CAFE standards announced earlier in the week will help to some extent, but using corn to make fuel is like burning antique furniture to keep warm. It works but comes at a high price.

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