Maybe China Has The Right Idea

So China is now placing a moritorium on producing bio-fuel from food crops amid concerns that it is driving up the prices of just about every other food product out there. (link here) China with its population of more than 1 billion people has a tougher time feeding its population than the US does but it seems kinda funny that China would see through the ethanol hype before US politicians.

The end of the article has some fun facts about ethanol, some of which I guess are supposed to be in support of continued ethanol use and promotion. One in particular struck me: the fact that ethanol produces 18-29% lower GHG emissions per gallon than fossil fuels. What is ignored is that the lower energy content of ethanol reduces gas mileage by a significant amount, some anecdotal evidence suggesting as much as 30-40%. If that is the case than using ethanol would actually produce MORE greenhouse gases than conventional gasoline (but don’t tell that to the industrial farmers getting rich off higher corn prices). If anyone has any specific studies that have looked into this I would love to see them (just post a link in the comments).