There is a lot in the news lately about the prospect of Brazilian ethanol being used in the American market. It is about time. For me, there is no question that it should be discussed, developed, and implemented so, that is not what I would like to discuss. I would like to make a point to those who argue that it is not sustainable to run cars on ethanol because of the affects it has on grain prices and competition with food production.
This point is brought up to distract from the benefits of ethanol. If we are going to argue about food production, then we need to make some sacrifices in what we eat. Beef is one of the least efficient meats in the fact that a cow ready for slaughter has been fed approximately five times its own weight in grains. This means that for every cow that is sent to the slaughterhouse, five times its weight in grains is now unavailable for the production of breads, pastas, and other grain products. Pork will have to be the next to go, requiring approximately three times its weight to prepare it for slaughter and chicken, while delicious, may have to go as well. For each chicken that is consumed, it has already been given about twice its weight in grains.
So if food production is going to be an argument then we must first decide what to argue about. Would we rather give up our diets or would we rather give up our lazy lifestyles that have made us dependent on combustion engines? The facts are this, we are facing an imminent oil crisis and we have to prepare for it. Ethanol is a cleaner, cheaper, renewable source. And a different source is going to be mandatory because even with more efficient use of our oil supplies, people are not going to abandon their cars anytime soon and the oil will run out. So, if the market is demanding enough ethanol to drive up the price of grains in the market, doesn’t that just show us that we place more importance on our dependence on combustion engines than we do our food supply? Pay more at the pump or the grocery store. It is a price we have to pay somewhere.