Debate – Bio-Fuels will Result in World Famine?

I need negative points for the topic ‘Bio-Fuels will Result in World Famine’

Any help is much appreciated because we’re struggling haha.

Thankyou

NO MORE CORN TO EAT WHEN MORE MONEY CAN BE MADE FOR FUEL

bio fuels and the need for food?

Are Bio fuels contributing to poverty.
I can’t help thinking they are, we are making a food substance in to petrol, and denying very poor people much needed food

Is this Right?

Yes, some biofuels are contributing to poverty. Using food corn to make ethanol pushes up the price of corn (or maize, as it’s known in most of the world) worldwide.

There’s an excellent article about the rising prices of staple foods in the June 2008 issue of Scientific American (page 40) that includes some info on your question.

Why are some people saying that Bio-fuels such as ethanol are bad for the environment?

If everyone uses ethanol, then it becomes a problem. But if only some people are using it, then the issue of it driving up food prices is nominal at best. Many hundreds of acres of land in the United States belong to farmers who are paid by the federal government to NOT farm it– in order that crop prices are kept stable, and so that we’re not generating a surplus at the expense of taxing arable land. If we were to cultivate that land to make fuel sources, we would keep food prices low– but if there were a drought or bad year, then we would see prices rise. Additionally, cultivating this extra land doesn’t solve the problem of emissions from bio-fuel vehicles, and would create a new demand for farm land, encouraging the federal government to consider selling off protected areas like national parks and reserves. Which would suck.

I’ve read a lot of negative comments about bio-fuels creating the same amount of emissions as gasoline and diesel. This is neither a qualified or a quantified statement. In clarification, biofuels produce about as much CO2- however, they do not produce as much O3 (ground-level ozone), sulfur and sulfur compounds, and CFCs as petroleum fuels. They are also far easier and cleaner to refine. And most of all, bio-fuels can be generated in the same country that’s using them; saving all the environmental expense of drilling and shipping petroluem.

Also, if a tanker full of veggie oil dumped in the ocean, there wouldn’t be a three-year clean-up ordeal afterwards. Not so, for oil.

What is out there other than electric cars, solar panels, and bio-fuels that can eliminate our need for oil?

My cars run on natural gas (methane), so they have never used gasoline or oil (we use synthetic oil in the crankcase). 2 of them are Ford Crown Victorias and the other is a Ford F-150 pickup truck. We love ‘em! 93 CENTS a gallon to fill up, plus they run much cleaner than gasoline cars, AND we got a nice tax credit for buying them (used, no less) in the first place. Check out my sources below to see if one would work out for you in your area. Not every place has a filling station, so that’s the biggest drawback. That’s my 2 cents on the subject.

If bio fuels are actually harming the world, then are biodegradable bags made from corn just as bad?

Anything that uses a food source to produce anything but food is going to cause a new set of problems for people and animals.

Could Bio-fuels be the answer to problems caused by fossil fuels?

which particular problems do you have in mind? Wouldn’t drastically change inner city pollution issues, but could offset a lot of political and economic issues. I would also expect it to create other problems related to food production and so forth.

I would consider bio-fuels a stop-gap measure at best for the impending scarcity of fossil fuels. Alternative sources of energy production will be necessary. Bio-fuels could work in concert with other energy sources and get us through the inevitible change on the horizon.

Obama supporters, would using bio-fuels instead of oil be a good solution to the price of gas?

I was just talking to a bus driver in Honolulu last week about growing beets for fuel. It will take a lot of beets. I don’t think it’s going to save us money, everything in Hawaii is twice as expensive!

Can someone tell me why bio fuels may be the solution?

I need some information to make a presentation on biofuels. Stuff on environmental impacts, freedom from dependence on foreign fuels and government regulations would be a big help.

Information is below.

Where do the fertizers for growing Bio fuels come from?

The fertiliser used in growing the Bio fuel is a compound of, coal, plastic, household waste, crude oil, wood, natural gas and old nuclear fuel rods, it is mixed with various acids and chemicals and spread on the ground. It has a half life of 4 zillion years. It is especially good for growing Bio Crops as the heat generated from this sludge enables it to be used in polar regions. Sadly there are one or two side effects from this growing program, 1) it is dangerous to all forms of life, 2) the earth is polluted for 242,000,000 years give or take a century or so. But worry not, our respective governments assure us that it is alright. I can now sleep in peace whilst growing my extra head. I hope this has answered your question to your satisfaction

If bio-fuels are so great how come the government has to subsidize it?

Because biofuels really aren’t that great. Someone latched on to biofuels as the savior of the energy crisis, but they’re not. The amount of fuel produced relative to the amount used to produce the biofuel is negligible (if there even is a net fuel gain, which seems to be debatable).