Back in August 2006 when we published our
first article on the question of the use of Ethanol as an alternative to petroleum derivatives for motor fuel, we hoped that we would provoke a wider discussion on the subject. Well, it appears to be heating up - and maybe we helped just a little. Of course, the larger question, that of Climate Change, is also on everyone's lips, and maybe we helped spark that too!
We have been gratified to see that some of the major organs of world opinion have embraced our arguments, like the crowding out effect that the use of current feed crops, such as corn, will have on the price of food. This topic was analyzed by the New York Times in it's Op-Ed piece of February 6, 2007.
Two other pieces published in the New York Times (1, 2) relating to the mystery of the disappearing honey bees in North America are pointing at possible climatic change or pesticide misuse as causative factors. Either of these possible causes are alarming. The impact of a major reduction in the number of bees pollinating crops in North America is dire indeed.
The whole bio-fuel question really heated up with the early March visit of President Bush to Brazil. The agreement signed at that time will virtually guarantee that there will be vastly increased usage of ethanol and other bio-derivatives. What can we expect from this development?
On March 21, 2007 The Guardian published an article touching on another aspect that we highlighted - that of the veiled slavery in the cane fields of Brazil. Since this topic is of importance to us, our corespondent sent a letter to the Guardian, which we quote below:
