From Guest Blogger Paula Sheamus: Biofuels vs Food Problem

The fuel versus food debate has been continuing for years. While some people aim to produce biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuels, others are concerned about our irresponsible actions and the fact that because of them our planet might stop supporting us one day. This issue has turned into a furious argument which has been going on for years. Replacing fossil fuels with environmentally-friendly biofuels does sound like a good idea. Until we remember of all the millions of starving people in the world. The questions is, is it really ethical to divert efficient crops for biofuels that might not even be sustainable? Considering the possibility to take better care of our planet by using less harmful fuels and, on the other hand, keeping in mind the fact that there are too many hungry people out there, we are faced with a major problem. In spite of the rise of food production, the danger of many people remaining hungry hasn’t decreased. Therefore many find the idea of burning up needed crops to make biofuels inappropriate, or even a crime.

What Biofuel Supporters Think
Turning crops into biofuels actually has many advantages. Let’s start with the fact that biofuels are much more ecologically-friendly. They are made from crops, such as soy beans, wheat, sugar cane and corn, also called ‘energy crops’. They help protecting the planet by emitting less pollution, while fossil fuels do exactly the contrary. Thinking about global warming, we know something has to be done about it if we want to protect our planet. Many scientists claim that fuels, such as coal and oil, increase the temperature and can lead to a global warming. Biofuels can be effectively used to power cars, homes and even factories, and thus protect the environment. Australian scientists say that when it comes to gas emission, the difference between biodiesel and petroleum diesel is over 85 per cent in favour of biodiesel. The numbers are indeed horrifying.
And that’s not all. Producing biofuels means a lot of new opportunities for farmers and construction workers. In other words, the biofuel industry opens many working positions for people who live in poor rural regions and thus stimulate economy.

Another advantage of biofuels is their price. While gas becomes more and more expensive, many people find rescue in biofuels in order to save money.

On The Contrary
Many people tend to think that producing of biofuel is an idea created by the fact that countries don’t want to depend on foreign oil. By using own crops to make fuel, they reduce the import process and become less dependent. Thus they decrease the chance to repeat the crisis they had to go through in 1973 when the Middle East stopped exporting and prices rose greatly. Growing energy crops, nations won’t rely that much on foreign countries. But how worthy is that compared to the fact that people are starving? If we start using more crops to produce biofuel, not only will the price of food grow, but also we might face terrible food shortage in future. Also, to produce biofuels, massive amount of water has to be used, which can have a very negative effect on water resources.

The debate is continuing as both crop-defenders and biofuel supporters can play very strong cards to prove the importance of the ideas they stand for.

– Paula runs a number of sites on different subjects, including this on sustainable cleaning services.