Developed countries want to reduce their dependence on oil and bring about a turnaround in climate policy. Therefore, they are increasingly focusing on the use of renewable resources as an energy supplier. What is the climate, leads both to higher prices for staple foods and increased demand for agricultural land. problem: After the end of the Cold War, there are no more tanks, pipelines but is done with them "politics." Saudi Arabia, Russia and Iran are well aware of their power, giving the slogan "Support Request instead of" a new meaning. Your energy they sell to the highest bidder and enjoy the growing dependence of customers. As rapidly rising energy demand, highlights the fact that in China every week a new coal power plant goes into operation.
Current Solution: Renewable energy from the field. Set to this option, both the Europeans and the Americans. President George W. Bush received for his statement that people should take the fuel, "which is growing in America," applause. Sounds quite logical: The CO2 that is released by burning biodiesel was previously absorbed by the growing plant. So that the environment is reduced. And the dependence of any regime as well.
The consequences: The cultivation of energy crops competes with the Food market. More and more rape, oil palm and maize are no longer delivered to mills or margarine factories, but to the well-paying energy industry. Simultaneously, the growing purchasing power in Asia provides a demand for food, also to exceed the production begins. Taken together, a serious impact on supplies and prices.
After all that the long-lamented decline in prices for agricultural products is stopped abruptly. Because of the increased global demand and a disastrous crop failure in Australia, wheat has become more expensive in Germany within a few months by 50 percent. During the harvest cost per ton 105 euro, now there are over 150 €. The same applies to other basic foodstuffs such as maize. For many farmers in Germany, this development is like a warm rain.
But the joy of the new markets is not perfect even in agriculture. Because by the withdrawal of land for energy crops, prices have risen considerably in animal feed. But the vague announcement that in the region a new biogas plant will be built, triggers in poultry and pig farmers sleepless nights. The biogas producers can currently pay much higher rents than their colleagues be farmland. This represents the international competitiveness of the animal husbandry sector in Germany to a severe test.
And global
: The rapid increase of the third world countries will meet their low purchasing power much harder. In Mexico, it was already in the capital to mass demonstrations, as has doubled the price of corn almost that many families are threatened in their existence. The Americans produce biofuels from corn. Meanwhile there for 20 percent of corn production in the tank instead of land in Central America - with a rising trend.
This is just a taste. Because only get the food, they can pay. As long as surpluses were produced, the prices on the world market were so low that many people could afford enough food in the developing world. Even the first states to offer their Cereal stocks to no more the world market. If the hoarding begins, come the speculators. At the same time will increase the pressure to clear the last virgin forests to grow food. This will be the third world, the only way to survive at all.
Milchmädchenrechnung: everyone involved is clear that rape and biogas our cars or industrial iota can get out of dependence on energy imports from Saudi Arabia or Russia. In order to achieve approximately the predetermined by the European Union goal of mixing of meager 5.75 percent for biodiesel, it would - according to a study by the University of Barcelona - an estimated one fifth of arable land in the EU are used for energy rapeseed. Europe's entire usable farmland that is currently used for food production is not enough time to cover even a third of gasoline demand. There is no use in the chemical industry include (for example, plastics production). Even that would not change the energy consumption in the form of electricity. Europe can achieve its targets in terms of renewable energy only when other continents would also sacrifice their food production for its energy goals.
What impact will this have on carbon footprint? The expected (fire) the clearing of forests for the necessary expansion of arable land (as is currently already will occur principally in the production of palm oil for energy production), the CO2 balance not improve. The effort to produce biodiesel from energy-producing plants, is - especially in terms of energy required - not to be underestimated. The growing energy needs, while you can pump oil and natural gas through pipelines, vegetable raw materials are transported by vehicle. The "conversion" (for example, oil extraction, methylation) of maize in diesel requires energy. In this respect, we will continue to import oil to dream of our energy policy ideas.
eco-energy agriculture?
was the date Organic farming as a benchmark for a "politically correct" management of agricultural land. Does this now for the cultivation of energy-producing plants? An economic cultivation of crops for energy requires high-yield high-yielding varieties and the use of chemical fertilizers. Without modern breeding technology - genetic engineering called on the international stage - and without the use of phosphorus and nitrogen fertilizer can forget the energy production on the field. The balance sheets, using which the friends of the ecology for renewable energy plants, assume that is not being badly shattered ecological.
Conclusion: The whole system works only with the biodiesel through subsidies and by high taxation of other energy sources. This will remain in the long run Sun This is not a "turning point", but a long-planned destruction of economic assets, which is currently still in the hands of citizens.
energy from renewable resources, yes - but only so long not including the production of food is suffering and the ecological balance for the process is really beneficial too.
Sources: Energy eat foods:
Stein M. EU.LEnspiegel 2007/H.1/S.1-2
Russi D: Social multi-criteria evaluation and renewable energy policies. Dissertation, Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 2007
Monbiot G: Worse than fossil fuel. Guardian 12/7/2005;
www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?ItemID=9285
http://www.dradio.de/dkultur/sendungen/mahlzeit/609972/
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