Bioethanol Production in the UK

[kenneal - lagger]

This story, quoted in the Powerswitch Peak Oil News, about bioethanol production really should be countered if we want to eat in the future so I sent this reply to the paper and direct to the MP as well as copying it to my own MP as well.

While a limited amount of bioethanol production might be a good thing, more important for the UK is food security. We should concentrate on making ourselves 100% food secure in the things that we can grow here and only then look at fuel production, after all eating is more important than swanning around in cars.

World grain production per capita has been falling for many years and the world grain reserve has followed. Countries like China are importing more food as well as buying up land around the world to produce food for their own consumption and other cash rich and food poor countries, such as the Gulf States, are following suite. As emerging nations such as China become richer they are eating a more Western diet including more meat. This is increasing the amount of grain fed to animals instead of directly to humans, meaning that it now takes two or three times the amount of grain to feed a person as it did in more frugal times in those countries. Climate change, whether man made or not, is increasingly causing problems with food growing worldwide. The vagaries of the jet stream mean that Russia, unlike last year, is exporting grain again but that cannot be relied upon in future. Australia has gone from too little rain to too much.

We cannot rely on being able to import our food from abroad for much longer. It is getting more expensive to purchase on world markets and this is causing rioting in poorer countries. Much of this world price hike has been caused by turning food crops into car fuel for the rich west. This is not only immoral, it will cause us problems with increased migratory pressures from Africa and the east. Our own balance of payments problems mean that we may not be able to afford to import food and if things get much worse economically we may not be able to get the credit either. If it comes to a choice between eating and driving a car, which it could well do, I know which way my vote will go.

To those who say that they need a car to get to work, I say that you won't be doing much work if you don't have enough to eat. Food shortages are on the horizon, especially if we continue with these EU policies on biofuel inclusion in transport fuels, so we need to get a job closer to our home or a house closer to our jobs. If you haven't got a job you still need to eat. But above all, we need to start growing more of our own food, not just as a nation, but individually. Instead of wasting petrol or electricity on mowing that lawn, turn it over to vegetable beds; turn some of the flower beds over to the more decorative vegetables; or just get an allotment. Badger your MP into providing more allotments nationwide instead of worrying about a few jobs for an ultimately unsustainable industry.

There are only three essentials in life and they are food, water and shelter and the order depends on the weather. Anything else, including driving a car, is a luxury so lets concentrate on the essentials first and that means food.

[biffvernon]

Somebody called ecoken seems to have got in first. Conservative MP Andrew Percy does seem to be a rather confused young man.

More info at http://www.vireol.com/

[kenneal - lagger]

Someone had got in with the username kenneal first so I had to use my alter ego.

Reply from Mr Percy

Hi there

Thanks for this.

The bioethanol production planned locally will use wheat that wikll also produce animal feed so it is sustainable. Otherwise I wouldn't support it.

True but the nutritional value is less as all the carbohydrate, the energy content, is removed.

[goslow]

I had a look at the comapny's website. They are using feed wheat which is not used for human consumption and is not that great for animals either. It needs less fertiliser than normal wheat. My thought is whether the land would be better used for something else. Pasture for livestock?

Its suprising they claim a 60% carbon savings vs petrol, wheat based bioethanol production in the UK is normally something like 25% lower CO2 emissions.

2nd generation biofuel from agricultural residues addresses some of these concerns, but not all.

The other thing about bioethanol is its normally in a blend with petrol, e.g. max 85%. Hence, it does perpetuate the continuation of petrol-based transport.