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Article: Ethanol: train wreck ahead? Government policy is stoking unsustainable growth of the corn-based fuel. A more sober, diversified approach is needed.(PERSPECTIVES)
- Article from:
- Issues in Science and Technology
- Article date:
- September 22, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 National Academy of Sciences. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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The new vogue in energy policy is plant-derived alternative fuels. Corn-based ethanol, and to a lesser extent oilseed-based biodiesel, have emerged from the margins to take center stage. However, although ethanol and biodiesel will surely play a role in our energy future, the rush to embrace them has overlooked numerous obstacles and untoward implications that merit careful assessment. The current policy bias toward corn-based ethanol has driven a run-up in the prices of staple foods in the United States and around the world, with particularly hurtful consequences for poor consumers in developing countries. U.S. ethanol policies rig the market against alternatives based on ...