China Moves to Ban Food Crops in Ethanol Production
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06.12.07
China is slowly moving to stop production of ethanol from food source crops. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) has said that no new projects using food crops to create ethanol would be approved from now on. In China, all new companies and operations need to receive approval from the government, so changes like this can take place very quickly.
Any new businesses would have to use non-food materials such as cassva, sweet potato, sorgo and cellulose, and current enterprises using corn would be asked to switch over to one of these sources gradually too. There are four enterprises currently creating corn ethanol, which produce over a million tons per year in total.
The NDRC official making the statements refused to be named, but Xu Dingming, vice director of the Office of the National Energy Leading Group, said, "Food-based ethanol fuel will not be the direction for China." :: Xinhua
See also :: Underground Ethanol Pipes for the US? :: Cellulosic Ethanol in Japan: BioEthanol & Celunol :: Ethanol vs. Biodiesel: Just the Facts :: Methanol - The Official Chinese Liquid Transportation Fuel Of The Future :: Shell Draws A Bright Line: No Food For Fuel
Finally! Look overseas, to China, anywhere but here for someone to get a clue. Corn-based ethanol is just a giveaway to ADM, Monsanto & agribusiness. And a way for Detroit to say they're getting green (flexfuel) without actually doing anything. Corn-based anything is a huge mistake - heavily uses petroleum, fertilizers & pesticides, a net energy loss during production, a tax on society, enriching fat cats, raising food costs on the poor. If the US really cared about ethanol, they would lower trade tariffs on sugarcane-produced ethanol from Brazil and elsewhere.
The use of food to fuel vehicles is a form of insanity similar to cutting off the branch upon which one is sitting. It makes no sense.. The long term effects are harmful and inhumane to the poorest of the poor.
Just because we have been given so much does not justify our decision to waste good food in this manner. We become no better than the rich man who permitted Lazarus to eat the scraps that fell from his table.
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