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The Problems With Ethanol

Michiana Sierra News

Fall 2007

When it comes to corn-based ethanol, what seems good for farmers may not be so good for everyone else. In the past year, the global price of corn has doubled. Because corn is the most common animal feed, the price of milk also has nearly doubled, with the price of butter in Europe increasing by 40%. Pork prices in China are up about 20%. And in Mexico, a 60% rise in the cost of tortillas has led to riots. Global grain consumption has exceeded production in the last six years, resulting in the world grain reserve dwindling to about 60 days, the lowest level in 34 years.

Adding insult to injury, corn is not even an efficient source of ethanol. Each unit of energy put into corn-based ethanol production produces only 1.3 to 2 units of energy in return. On the other hand, cellulosic plants (corn stalks, straw, biomass) produce 4 to 6 units of energy. Sugar cane produces up to 8 units. This is all good food for thought as we consider how to use our resources. Perhaps we should ask more insistently whether we can afford to give tax subsidies to the corn-based ethanol industry.

ABC’s 20/20 news program did a report entitled, “Ethanol May Not Be the Miracle It’s Made Out to Be” and pointed out recent studies that indicate it takes just about as much energy to produce ethanol as you get when you burn ethanol. On top of this, emissions from ethanol-fueled cars are no cleaner for the environment. According to atmospheric scientist Mark Jacobson of Stanford University, a switch to ethanol won’t do anything to address climate change, and ethanol fumes may actually be worse for public health than the fumes from gas-powered vehicles. Emissions from ethanol-fueled cars contain more of the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde and acetaldehyde, and the vehicles will also boost atmospheric levels of ozone, a major component of smog, which will weaken people’s immune systems and cause lung damage.

The increase of corn production to make ethanol will also lead to the use of more fertilizer and more pesticides, and will create more greenhouse gases. Research also points out that ethanol won’t cure our dependence on foreign oil. A study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences says even turning all of America’s corn into ethanol would only meet 12% of our gasoline demand. When a fuel source is expensive, bad for the environment, and won’t help our foreign policy, then there’s no reason to force taxpayers to foot the bill for producing it.