Biofueled Food Shortages?

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America’s renewable energy plan remains bleak, as biofuel was found to give off more Greenhouse Gas Emissions than renewable energy, explained a panel of experts yesterday at the Hudson Institute. Although experts disagreed on the next course to take in keeping Americans fed, they, for the most part agree that biofuel drives up cost and can even cause a universal food shortage in the long run.

In light of the Global Warming, “the World Bank is warning of climate chaos and demands a rebuilding of the world’s agricultural science centers to keep everyone fed,” Dennis T. Avery, Director of Research and Education for Hudson’s Center for Global Food Issues explained. However, not all experts agree with the World Bank’s decision.

Dr. Patrick J. Michaels, senior fellow Environmental Studies for Cato Institute, questioned, “Why renewables? Where is the warming?” “Global Warming is highly polarized,” he added. “The surface of this country has been getting wet as it warms up.”

In a recent article, Katherine Sierra, the World Bank’s vice-president for sustainable development, said, “climate change will mean more droughts, floods, more outbreaks of pests and disease, more heat stress for livestock and less arable land for crops.” In short, Sierra warns, “the world dropped the ball on agricultural science after the Green Revolution saved a billion people from starvation and preserved 16 million square miles of forest from being plowed for more low-yield crops.”

Thus, Avery noted in the same article “droughts will continue to be important in the 21st century, but they’re always the biggest threat to our food supply.” In addition, he said, “the world faces its biggest ever food-production challenge in the next 40 years—but global warming doesn’t seem to have much to do with it; world temperatures today are just about the same level as 100 years ago.”

Thereby Avery added, “the real food challenge is the world’s last surge of population growth and the continuing surge of human affluence.” Also, he said, “population will increase another 40 percent before it starts to decline in the 22nd century.” Also, Avery noted that the World Bank has affirmed, “per capita incomes will double rapidly due to technology and trade—if there’s energy.”

Dr. Judith Capper, a post-Doctoral Fellow at Cornell University, explained that America is facing higher cost for such items as meat, milk and eggs than the U.S. saw during the time of the Great Depression.

Therefore, experts argue over which course should be taken in order to grow and raise enough livestock to keep America fed, as well as keep the environment safe from Greenhouse Gas Emissions and harmful chemicals.

One panelist explained that some farmers are considering using corn to produce ethanol. “Burning up our nation’s food for fuel just doesn’t make sense,” Indur Goklany, Assistant Director of Science and Technology, Department of the Interior, responded. “People will starve,” he added.

Capper argued that feeding cows conventional grain is a way to produce fewer Greenhouse Gas Emissions, while Danielle Nierenberg, animal-agriculture and climate-change specialist, argued, “intensive animal agriculture hurts climate change efforts.”

Concluding, Avery explained that he and his colleagues have been avoiding the development of nuclear carbon fuels at all cost. Instead, he offers, in what he believes to be a win, win situation: having a healthy environment and plenty of healthy food. Thereby affirming, “science—especially biotechnology offers the best hope of being able to feed 8-10 billion people (up from the current 6.5 billion) in 2050,” Avery explained. “Major progress is already being made on drought tolerance, nitrogen efficiency and stacked pest resistance traits. We urgently need more investment in hardier varieties of such secondary crops as potatoes, yams, peas and where companies see little profit opportunity.” Avery added, “Organic yields are only half as high as conventional due to the global shortage of manure to maintain soil fertility.” Thereby arguing, “An organic-only mandate would surely bring on a collision between food and forests that the wildlife couldn’t win.”

Despite experts’ efforts to find conventional and affordable ways to raise livestock, to grow healthy vegetation, while protecting the environment still remains a major problem in the 21st century, and might remain a problem for many years to come.

Irene Warren is an intern at the American Journalism Center, a training program run by Accuracy in Media and Accuracy in Academia.