Quote:
Originally Posted by HejiraNYC
I saw a segment on CNN about the burgeoning corn-based ethanol industry. Although the proponents insist that it is the green alternative fuel source of the future, as it turns out, the processing/refinement of ethanol creates even more carbon than burning fossil fuels (since the ethanol plants burn tons and tons of coal). Additionally, the return on energy investment is pathetically small- barely dougle-digit percentages. But most significantly, the corn used to create ethanol is cutting into the supply being used for food, hence corn-based products are way up. Ask any Mexican about the price of tortillas!
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You may be right about this, though I thought that a book I read a few months back called
The Omnivore's Dilemma actually said that the corn used to make stuff like ethanol, animal feeds, food additives and chemicals was a tasteless, starchy, not-particularly-delicious variety. I might be wrong, I'd need to check out that corn chapter again. We dont' even know the half of how here in the US, corn now reigns supreme. This is a contributing reason why we have obesity in such a way now here. Manufactured and packaged foods are loaded with high-fructose corn syrup and corn solids and corn, corn corn. Which of course, becomes sugar, sugar, sugar once we eat it.
The farmers in the heartlands are heavily subsidized to raise corn, or soy. Industrial plants for our post-industrial age.