food prices

The current rate at which biofuels are falling out of favor is largely founded on biased ideologies, which have been shaped by widespread political and corporate agenda-pushing from all sides of the fence.

So-called organic fuels have caused an increase of food prices by 75%, according to an unpublished report of the Global Bank (GB).The publication pointed out that the report was completed in April, but was not published to avoid to put in a delicate situation the U.S. government, which claimed that biofuels led to an increase of food prices with only 3%.

A combination of bad weather and the rising use of ethanol as fuel, combined with higher transportation costs and other economic factors, have caused the costs of corn to skyrocket. Corn ethanol programs must be stopped now, and the competition between food and fuel must be ended.

Bob Dinneen, President and CEO, Renewable Fuels Assocation, is interviewed about criticisms that biofuels, such as ethanol, are driving up world food prices. He also addresses industry efforts to shift to cellulosic ethanol and to create a wider US ethanol fueling infrastructure.

Senator Grassley rebuts the argument that ethanol and corn farmers are to blame for rising food prices. He says increased oil prices play a role.

Lester Brown, Author of Plan B 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, discusses the need for the United States to control its greenhouse gas emissions in order to ensure the security of the worldwide food supply. Brown outlines how market forces and societal pressure can encourage those reductions.

We throw away about a third of the food we buy, which is crazy given rising food prices and a global food shortage. So what do we throw away and why, and how can we solve the problem?

Richard Lobb, Coalition for Balanced Food and Fuel Policy, is interviewed about a study that finds federal ethanol subsidies are contributing to rising food prices.

As of today, petrol station fuel in the UK will contain a minimum of 2.5% biofuel, as new government targets come into force.

A discussion of the New York Times article about the world-wide food vs. fuel crisis that is haunting Western politicians and their favorite biofuels policies. Alternatives to biofuels are discussed, and support is given to biodiesel made from waste (not food products), as long as liquid fuels are needed.

Despite intense debate surrounding the growing global food crises, the European Union today defended expanding the use of biofuels in all 27 member countries. Part of the EU’s climate change package, the current proposal sets a target of meeting 10% of transportation fuel with biofuels by 2020.

NPR’s Morning Addition briefly interviewed World Bank President Robert Zoellick last Friday concerning world food prices. Zoellick called it a “perfect storm of things coming together…” and listed 7 different issues contributing to the increasing cost of food, which led to rioting in Haiti and Egypt last week, along with a general strike in Burkina Faso.

President Bush promised to expand American biofuel production but the result seems to be causing more harmthan good. Some believe that corn is a poor source for energy - growing it and other staples as fuel has caused food pricesworldwide to explode, even as the scarcity of flex-fuel vehicles means no significant increase in U.S. biofuel use. Now the U.N.is worried about rising food costs, while environmentalists see entire regions torn up to grow fuel crops. The great ethanol boomof 2007 goes bust on Global Pulse.