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be ethanol produced by sugar cane. Sugar cane yields 600-800 gallons of ethanol an acre, which is twice as much as corn. According to Joel Bourne in his article "Green Dreams," "The stalk is 20 percent sugarfermented to make alcoholand waste cane can be burned to power the distillery, lowering the fossil-fuel use" (Bourne 57). Brazil is the major producer of cane ethanol. In 2005, Brazil produced 3.96 billion gallons of ethanol at $0.87 per gallon as production cost. The greenhouse gas emissions are 9 pounds per gallon which is, again, significantly lower than that of gasoline.

Another subject of recent news that the public might not be knowledgeable about is greenhouse gases and the global warming theory. According to an article on Wikipedia, titled "Global Warming," the major greenhouse gases are: water vapor (H2O), carbon dioxide (CO2), Methane (CH4), and ozone (O3) (Global Warming 2). The gas that has been receiving the most blame for global warming is carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a compound that people come in contact with every single day of existence. The reason for this is when humans breathe out, the gas they expel is mostly carbon dioxide. The alleged reason for the CO2 build up is the lack of trees, which intake carbon dioxide similar to the way humans intake oxygen. With automobiles producing so much carbon dioxide as well, there are simply not enough plants to absorb the overwhelming amount of carbon dioxide.
One might ask how the build up of carbon dioxide causes global warming and how it is related to the need for an alternative fuel source. It causes global warming because when the earth receives heat from the sun, normally it would either be absorbed by the earth itself or reflected back out into outer space. The build up of carbon dioxide acts as a blanket, not allowing enough heat to be released back into space. Because burning of gasoline in cars is the reason for the build up, a fuel source needs to be found in which the carbon dioxide emissions are much lower (Global Warming 1-9).
Finally, the most talked about part of the entire ethanol controversy is the cost of switching from oil to plants. According to an article in the magazine "Advanced Materials & Processes," The United States Department of Energy has already invested over $400 million as of December, 2007, when they promised to invest $30 million more (Bio-energy Research Centers to Develop Cellulosic Ethanol 17). The Department of Energy is also partially funding the construction

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