(CNN) -- Those battling global warming by promoting biofuels may unintentionally be adding to skyrocketing world food prices, creating what one expert calls "a silent tsunami" in developing nations.
The rising prices are "threatening to plunge more than 100 million people on every continent into hunger," Josette Sheeran, executive director of the United Nations' World Food Program, said on the agency's Web site Tuesday.
AND:
(CNN) The national average for regular unleaded is $3.53 and rising daily. Last year at this time, it was $2.86 per gallon. According to AAA, 24 states and the District of Columbia are averaging at or above $3.50 a gallon for regular unleaded. The state with the lowest gas is in New Jersey, at $3.34 per gallon.
Green says Americans should expect the price to increase another 25 cents over the next month and continue to climb over the summer months.
"A national average approaching $4 a gallon should not be ruled out by consumers later this year," he said.
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Given the reality of rising gas prices, given the reality that we've based our global economy largely on cheap and abundant oil AND given the reality that a result of that bit of foolishness is that "more than 100 million people on every continent" are in danger of starvation, riots and who-knows-what, given ALL of that, what are the appropriate political responses?
The appropriate personal responses?
These decisions are upon us, now.
4 comments:
Let me just point out where this first article says, "may unintentionally be adding to skyrocketing food prices," is a mistake. This was clearly predictable and predicted.
Didn't I recently hear of switch-grass as an alternative to corn as a source of ethanol?
I've been talking with my International Studies class about global warming recently - listening to NPR reports on Beijing's efforts to make their pollution index breathable for the Olympics, viewing "An Arctic Tale," etc.
This week we are watching Al Gore's, "An Inconvenient Truth," and find it to be very compelling.
I am impatient with folks just pointing out there is a problem and would rather see more solutions bandied about.
Anyone know a simple way to make my truck run on vegetable oil that doesn't require the installation of a diesel engine?
Well, I'm no genius, and that's why I'm asking what people think.
The only solution that makes sense to me is to consume less. Much, much, much less.
As it is, I think the "consume less" model WILL be how things even out eventually. Unfortunately, I fear that we'll force a "consume less" option on the poorest of the poor and they'll consume less by dying in great numbers, thereby freeing up resources. Not a solution I'm hoping we'll employ but one I fear will be defaulted upon us if we choose laissez faire.
Some more positive policy and personal solutions I think would include:
1. Farm our own food, or at least begin farming some of it.
2. Beginning to advocate and model sustainable farming, not our current agribusiness model (which is part of the problem).
3. Cut our personal driving down to practically nothing - save long trips, perhaps.
4. Begin implementing policies that make doing so easier (reversing sprawl, quit corporate welfare for agribusinesses and the petrol industry, quit paying the way for paving the way (literally) to make it easier for many, many motorists to get everywhere by auto, etc).
Anyone else have ideas?
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