Monday October 29, 2007, 10:39 am
Expert Calls Biofuels 'Crime Against Humanity'

UN expert, Jean Ziegler, has called the use of crops to produce biofuels as a replacement for common petrol "a crime against humanity" saying it would bring about starvation for millions.

Mr Ziegler said the mad dash to convert foodstuff to fuel was a recipe for disaster and called for a five year ban on the practice.
The IMF announced last week that it had grave concern on the issue, saying the rising grain prices seen in the world's markets of late would have disastrous effects for the poor.

Monday October 29, 2007, 10:58 am
That is ridiculous. What is a crime against humanity is a war for something we don't even need.

We have MORE than enough food for everyone. It's not that we don't have food - for instance, how much food do we each throw out every day? How many billions of tons of food is wasted in America every year from restaurants?

I don't believe for one hot second that food is our problem - it's our standards, our ethics, and how we waste our food and let others starve, instead of helping them.

I work at an organic food distribution company and even we end up throwing out huge amounts of food that goes bad before we can sell it. Also, I worked in the restaurant industry for years - from FL and CO to TN and CA...and I can tell you that we are disgustingly wasteful.

No one would starve because we used biodiesel - indeed, people are starving today because of a lack of kindness and caring - not because we don't have enough crops for the entire planet.

Monday October 29, 2007, 11:37 am
Okay, I understand the corn crops - but isn't that ethanol - and not biodiesel? Biodiesel can be made out of many other things...even animal fats. I feel the statement from Jean Ziegler is targeting biodiesel and does not make sense in the bigger scheme of things.

Monday October 29, 2007, 8:46 pm
It's true we have more than enough food for everyone, and it's just as true that we waste tons of it, but food distribution is more complicated than just not caring and sharing. Anyway, this is just a very brief book review, it doesn't shed any light on the quest for biofuels. Brazil has had success with using sugar cane, I doubt anyone will starve for lack of sugar, and the US is experimenting with using grasses and also algae, not just corn. It's a work in progress.

Tuesday October 30, 2007, 8:20 am
Our fascist oligarchy corporate government has only backed biofuels that they know are destined to fail. Hemp is STILL illegal to grow in the US even though it can be grown on land unsuitable for food production. Not only can hemp outproduce all other plants for biodeisel, but it can create ethanol much more efficiently than corn or sugar cane. It can also be used in construction, pharmecuticals, clothing, and countless other industries. Major automobile manufacturors are starting to use it in the firewalls of their vehicles, but we can't grow it here!

Other aspects of biodeisel can be addressed by having local communities create their own biodeisel using food waste from local groceries and restaurants. Why do we waste so much fuel transporting fuel accross the country when local fuel can be processed and delivered within a community? The city that I live in has several refinories that truck gasoline all over California! Small community biodeisel plants can be community owned, governmentally regulated to insure quality and sound practices, and above all else curb the unnecesary waste that our nation creates every minute of the day.