September 3rd, 2006
According to the UN, an estimate 850 million people suffer from hunger today. Adding to the Herculean task of the UN of finding a solution to end hunger is the potential complication of increased biofuel production throughout the world.
In the next 25 years, world population will increase to nine billion. Food production must increase by 40% within that period to cover demand. With climate change, oil restrictions, and biofuel production increasing, the UN believes that food production will have a tough battle ahead.
Food production will have to battle for the same resources as biofuel production, which will primarily be water. With climate change affecting water supply, there will be increased pressure to secure it, thus the water that will be used for watering the crops that will go to either food or fuel will have to give greater value to water.
According to Alexander Mueller, assistant Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, this emerging issue is one with neither clear figures nor guidelines. And if that is true, then the UN's fears might be true as well.
In my opinion, this will be a serious case in the coming years. Today, biofuels remain small compared to the total energy output of the world, but it will grow and mature into a very powerful sector soon. If it does and if people don't make the right decisions, we might all fall back into an energy trap, the same addiction sans oil.
Photo courtesy of livinggallery.cc
September 14th, 2006 at 11:20 am
According to a study by David Morris and Irshad Ahmed much of our needs now being covered by petroleum may be satisfied with — non food — plant matter. Which includes not only low water demanding native plants, but the residuals from food growing. We already waste 350 million tons of residual materials annually.
Granted the study is old. But the technology has improved greatly too. In addition, non-burning energy technologies (solar, wind, tidal, geothermal) are now slipping into the slots where we would have used a liquid fuel. So again, the issue is not so cut and dried.
COULD it be an issue? Sure, if we approach biofuels with the same single source myopicness we did petroleum. THIS is the real challenge.
The Carbohydrate Economy: Making Chemicals and Industrial Materials from Plant Matter, by David Morris and Irshad Ahmed, ISBN:0-917582-25-X
September 25th, 2006 at 1:46 am
Hello Wendy, thanks for dropping by! I looked for that article you mentioned but I couldnt find it. I did write my thoughts again though and I would appreciate your thoughts again as well.
Have a good day!