I hae wondered recently whether Ethanol Petrol actually saves you money. We use it and have used it for the past year or so, coz it is the cheapest to buy at the pump. But I wondered recently (after a chat with our wonderful friend Kath) whether you lose all that saving in the efficiency of the fuel.
Here is an article which seems to clearly back that theory up.
I don’t at this stage have any environmental dilemmas either way. The best enviro solution is to drive less. But I don’t buy into the “we’re using people’s food to make petrol for white collar lefty drivers”. There’s enough food, just not enough people willing enough to distribute it fairly.
Still, I think we’re moving to unleaded petrol. Hope this has informed your day
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I do buy in to the ‘we’re using peoples food’.
The price of Corn around the world has more than doubled in the last 2 and a bit years.
some of this rise is due to a greater amount of people entering ‘middle class’ in countries like china and India. So demand for food is higher.
Also The IMF estimates that corn ethanol production in the United States accounted for at least half the rise in world corn demand in each of the past three years.
Developing nations already can’t afford to import the required produce, and the World Food Crisis isn’t helping as prices rise and rise.
Good thoughts. But again, is that about the amount of corn required, or corruption in the system? I still thought there was more than enough available. Is it that the growing global middle class is stealing from the poor to give to their cars? Is so, what practical stuff can we do to change that coz it sucks.
Fuel savings can be made by substituting big mumma mower with big mumma herbivore
Part of the problem in the US is that the government is providing huge subsidies to farmers who are growing corn and other grains to be used for ethanol, so farmers who where growing for the food market are switching over ethanol becasue of the $$$ incentives.
There is still enough food produced for domestic use and a fair bit of export but it has reduced the amount of exportable produce. Which means higher demand and higher prices.
I’m not really sure what we can do, its a tricky one because ethanol is more environmentally sound but is contributing to higher food prices and demand and normal fuel is causing environmental problems but doesn’t really effect food prices or demand.
I guess we should all drive solar powered cars or something
that’s a whole new conspiracy though. Thanks again for the thoughts Howie, I do love that I scored the yearly serious moment from you, now back to poo jokes please
True that Kelv, you are not the first to mention that and I am quite keen for a goat. It won’t save us $$ in the short term unfortunately, with a few thousand $$ in fencing costs. Still, it will save time and petrol money, alongside with the environmental +. So will happen sometime, just after I have put my shirt back on from being a man all week.
i’ve had 2 serious moments this year and you only got one of them, but still that’s 50%. My politics post was serious.
A poo joke for you:
Have you heard about that new movie Constipation?
It hasn’t come out yet.