I have been reading a lot about ethanol lately. Many people are counting on it to help reduce greenhouse emissions. By growing corn and turning it into fuel, we have reduced our dependency on fossil fuels. The problem is how much energy are we actually saving? It takes a lot of energy to grow, transport, and process the corn. By the time were done, we have used almost as much energy as we are trying to save.
Another problem associated with ethanol is that it causes food prices to rise. By transferring production of corn to fuel use, there is less to sell as food. Some third world countries are really feeling the pinch. There have even been riots over the situation. I hope that we can find an answer to this problem that will satisfy us all!