Is ethanol a viable long-term source of renewable energy? It all depends on what type of ethanol we're talking about.
In his 2006 State of the Union Address, President George W. Bush warned Americans that we are "addicted to oil." An oil man himself, the president knew all too well that contentious Middle East petroleum is not simply an energy problem, but a national security issue as well.
Mr. Bush's answer to the oil problem was to increase federal funding for the production of a biofuel called grain-based ethanol. While on the face of it grain-based ethanol does in fact lessen dependence on foreign oil, its consequences cannot be ignored: no fewer greenhouse gases are emitted, and using food for fuel is causing a rise in food prices around the globe.
To be fair, Mr. Bush also funded research and development of an emerging type of ethanol that is not derived from food: cellulosic ethanol which is derived from biomass including wood chips and switchgrass. It is this type of ethanol that has the most potential in the years to come. But first, let's take a look at the ramifications of short-term grain-based ethanol and how using food for fuel is untenable in the long term.
What Is E-85 Corn-Based Ethanol?
The most widely produced grain-based type of ethanol is made from corn. Corn-based ethanol, a.k.a. E-85, is a mixture of eighty-five percent ethanol and fifteen percent gasoline. On the surface, E-85 appears to be a worthy competitor in the renewable fuel arena. But recent studies have shown that overall production of E-85 may emit just as much atmospheric carbon dioxide into the air, if not more so, than traditional energy production. Furthermore, food crops have been displaced for the purpose of growing corn specifically for ethanol production.
Environmental Consequences of Grain-Based Ethanol Production
For the sake of example, let's take a look at the environmental consequences of grain-based ethanol production in the Amazon rainforest.
Today, we see vast tracts of rainforest currently being denuded not simply for the new Amazon oil drilling boom, but also for the planting of corn and soybeans strictly for the production of ethanol. So when one factors in the excess carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere from tree felling, intensive agricultural activities, ethanol production, and fuel transportation over long distances, the net carbon dioxide emissions are virtually equal to or slightly greater than current methods of energy production.
Socioeconomic Consequences of Using Food for Fuel
A major area of concern from a moral perspective is how citizens in underdeveloped countries are seeing an increase in poverty and hunger due to higher global food prices. Former Vice President Al Gore calls global warming the "inconvenient truth" of the new environmental reality; I call food shortages and hunger due to increased ethanol production the inconvenient truth of the new energy reality.
While grain-based ethanol production stimulates economies and provides new jobs in order for citizens to grow wealthier, we need new studies to ascertain whether increasing wealth outpaces food shortages. If so, that is commendable; but at present it seems the balance is weighted far more toward the hunger side with the added consequence of increasing carbon dioxide emissions.
Currently, the nations are tipsy with excitement regarding the opportunity to trade volatile sources of oil for the renewable energy source called grain-based ethanol. But while using food for fuel may prove tenable in the short term, it is clearly not a long-term solution to the energy problem. However, if we increase funding for cellulosic ethanol which is derived from biomass such as wood chips and switchgrass, ethanol may have a bright future after all.