| One Quarter US Grain Goes to Cars, Not People | 30 January 10 |
 The 2009 US Department of Agriculture figures show ethanol production rising to record levels, driven by subsidies and laws which require vehicles to use increasing amounts of biofuels. As a result, one-quarter of all US maize (corn) and grain now end up as biofuel in cars, rather than being used to feed people."The grain grown to produce fuel in the US [in 2009] was enough to feed 330 million people for one year at average world consumption levels," states Lester Brown, director of the Earth Policy Institute. The number of hungry people in the world has increased to over 1 billion people, according to the UN World Food programme. "Continuing to divert more food to fuel, as is now mandated by the US federal government in its renewable fuel standard, will likely reinforce the disturbing rise in world hunger. By subsidising ethanol production to the tune of $6bn each year, US taxpayers are subsidising rising food bills at home and around the world," states Brown. More than 80 new US ethanol plants have been built since 2007, with more expected by 2015. when the US will need to produce an additional 5bn gallons of ethanol to meet its renewable fuel standard. View January 21, 2010 Earth Policy Institute articleView January 22, 2010 Guardian.co.uk article View January 22, 2010 CommonDreams article Visit United States Department of Agriculture website Source: Guardian.co.uk |
|
 Print version |
Top |
