Global warming has quickly become one of the most heated issues in America (pun intended). Rising temperatures and melting icebergs are indisputable evidence that the Earth is warming, but is this global heat wave a man-made crisis or just overblown hype?
Unfortunately, the law of unintended consequences was either forgotten, or
ignored, in the process. Every positive development will have some negative
repercussions as well. What are the negative repercussions of this alternate
fuels bonanza? Food riots in some developing countries.
With staple crops being used to make ethanol, their prices have skyrocketed. Corn is an excellent example. With subsidies in place, it is more profitable to grow corn than anything else. Rather than a glut in the market lowering the price, the massive demand for corn has raised it. This has resulted in higher prices for feed, which is often mainly composed of corn. Many farmers have abandoned other crops to grow corn, raising their prices as well.
As the price of basic staples has gone up, so too has the price of all complex foods that require multiple ingredients, almost all of which start at the farm level. This chain reaction has unleashed a wave of rising food prices, causing panic, even war, in several countries.
The prices of soy, rice, and wheat have all risen in response to the “food for fuel” initiatives, hurting most those in the poorest countries. We see the effects in mass panic in places like Haiti, Indonesia, the Philippines, and several African countries.
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