Would you use ethanol...

[180HOA]

Ethanol is primarily made from food crops. This means that as ethanol production increases, the food available to feed the world's population decreases.

Given that many of the world's population are already starving, I'm interested in how people feel about the use of ethanol as a fuel source. Do you have any moral issues with shifting from oil-based to ethanol-based fuel?

Is it right for wealthy countries to make poorer countries starve simply so we can continue to live wasteful lifestyles?

Would it make you think twice to know that if you were to fuel your car with ethanol, you'd be making someone starve?

Is all this enough to prevent you buying ethanol-based fuel?

Thoughts/feelings?

(I'm not after an 'ethanol eats your engine' discussion - I'm only asking about the social/moral aspect of using ethanol - thanks.)

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[MatsHolden]

Yes I would use ethanol. Ethanol can be manufactured from basically any plant matter. It's not really an issue of taking up food resources to manufacture ethanol as a lot of it is made from waste plant matter such as the left over of crops after harvesting ie. sugar cane. So rather than just disposing or burning the waste, it can be used to make ethanol.

[EL BURITO]

No its supply and demand the weak die off and the strong suvive

so yes i would use it

[entice]

given that the majority of ethanol production here is from Sugar crops, and given that an increase in ethanol useage means more sugar plantations required, hence more oxygenation (plant life photosynthesis yadda yadda), and more plants means more poeple required to manage them, hence more jobs created locally...

are you catching my drift,,,
]
and given that we arent exactly in a shortage of sugar worldwide...

No. I dont have a single hesitation on ethanol useage wrt world food starvation.

I think it has NO impact on food source.

[MatsHolden]

I think it has NO impact on food source.

Exactly. It's really a lot of positives when it comes to ethanol.

[SSS_Hoon]

yes and i have used ethanol.

there is nothing wrong with it at all.

if there were more places around that sold E85 i would most likly convert to it.


SSS_Hoon

[jerrypufflewell]

I would use ethanol just because it is heavily subsidised lol, although the benefits are debatable.

[imay]

Gotta agree with sentiments so far . . . don't think that crops for ethanol production here in Australia would greatly impact on the "feed the world's starving" campaign. Let's face it, a large majority of the world's starving are in that situation because of government ad corporate corruption, war, domestic uprising, and greed from a much higher level than the average western motorist.

Less sugar in our coffee and more ethanol in our tanks won't change the world starvation problems. So, yes, I would use it as long as it could be proven to be beneficial to ALL sectors, including my pocket.

[SSS_Hoon]

ethanol is made from the waste of the crops so there would be no less sugar.


SSS_Hoon

[blueraven]

before anyone comments more about crops being used and that they should feed the worlds hungy first, let me tell you something.

i wa sborn in a place called geraldton and its one of WA"s major shipping ports for grain. back a few years ago a trip to see some relatives (and have seen this almost every time) you drive past MOUNTAINS of grain waiting to be sold and loaded onto ships. i cant tell you how many time i have seen these just rotting away/growing green with mould and then they are just dumped. i am talking millions of tonnes!!..remember about 15 years ago when we had such a surplus of heep the there was a govt subsidiary for farmers to just kill them and bury them for like $15 a head????? The reason part of the world are starving is because no one is willing to pay to get the food to those people.

and yeah, i would use ethanol, but i havent seen it in WA yet.