Not long ago, corn-based ethanol was touted as a clean, renewable solution to reduce our dependence on oil. When burned it emits less carbon dioxide, the supply can be replenished year after year, and the industry supports farmers here in the United States.
The problem is that not only does ethanol cause far more harm to the environment than initially thought, but subsidies and mandates for biofuels are significant contributors to the current food crisis.
In 2006, four billion gallons of ethanol were produced using 14 percent of the U.S. corn crop. Production is expected to increase to 30 percent of the corn crop by 2009 and 40 percent by 2015. As more corn is diverted to fuel, less is available for food. Additionally, as farmers plant more corn, they plant less of other staple foods such as soybeans and wheat, driving up those prices as well. The International Food Policy Research Institute estimates that biofuel mandates and subsidies are responsible for one quarter to one third of the recent rise in food prices.
Even though nearly a quarter of the U.S. corn crop this year is expected to be used to make ethanol, this will account for only about 4.5 percent of the U.S. gasoline fuel market. As demand and mandates for biofuels increase, the effect on food crops—and, consequently, food prices—is huge. These effects are being seen outside the U.S. as well. Across Latin America and Asia, land that was previously used to grow food is now being used to grow fuel.
The production of biofuels is also having devastating environmental effects around the world. Previously, it was thought that corn-based ethanol provided 20 percent fewer carbon emissions than gasoline. However, a February 2008 study in the journal Science which took into account the destruction of forest and prairie land to grow biofuels found that, in fact, the net effect is a doubling of greenhouse gas emissions.
In places like Brazil, Indonesia and Malaysia, forests are being cleared to grow biofuels. This has no small effect on global warming: 20 percent of current global carbon emissions come from deforestation. In addition to these effects, ethanol production uses fossil fuels and scarce water resources and creates large amounts of hazardous fertilizer run-off.
As our elected officials look toward increasing the use of renewable resources, it is important that they look at the entire picture when it comes to biofuels. Current corn-based ethanol mandates must be reduced. Some biofuel sources—such as sugarcane, switchgrass, and agricultural waste products—show potential, but require further research. Any policy on biofuels must consider the effect on the environment and on world food markets.
As we struggle with high gas prices and look for U.S. policy solutions, we must balance our want for cheap energy with the need for food around the world. Our search for quick solutions should not lead to the destruction of rainforests. Neither should it increase the hunger in the belly of one child.
