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- Title
Food Versus Biofuels: Environmental and Economic Costs.
- Authors
Pimentel, David; Marklein, Alison; Toth, Megan A.; Karpoff, Marissa N.; Paul, Gillian S.; McCormack, Robert; Kyriazis, Joanna; Krueger, Tim
- Abstract
The rapidly growing world population and rising consumption of biofuels intensify demands for both food and biofuels. This exaggerates food and fuel shortages. The use of food crops such as corn grain to produce ethanol raises major nutritional and ethical concerns. Nearly 60% of humans in the world are currently malnourished, so the need for grains and other basic foods is critical. Growing crops for fuel squanders land, water and energy resources vital for the production of food for human consumption. Using corn for ethanol increases the price of US beef, chicken, pork, eggs, breads, cereals, and milk more than 10% to 30%. In addition, Jacques Diouf, Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, reports that using food grains to produce biofuels is already causing food shortages for the poor of the world. Growing crops for biofuel not only ignores the need to reduce fossil energy and land use, but exacerbates the problem of malnourishment worldwide.
- Subjects
BIOMASS energy; FOOD crops; FOSSIL fuels; ETHANOL as fuel; AGRICULTURAL water supply; POWER resources &; economics; FOOD consumption; INDUSTRIAL costs; FOOD &; Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
- Publication
Human Ecology: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 2009, Vol 37, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
0300-7839
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1007/s10745-009-9215-8