How many of you guys like cars?? How many of you guys like to eat?? In the future, you will have to make a tough decision. Right now, we only have enough oil to last us for about 20 years. So, would you guys rather eat this or drive this??? Have any of you heard of this new technology? Well, it is one of our newest technologies to compensate for our oil shortages. By the sound of it, it seems pretty positive!! Can you think of any problems of using something from our environment to replace a non-renewable resource? Think a little harder!!! Now do you see a problem?

What will happen to our food source if all of it is being used to power our cars?

How long will this energy crop euphoria last?

Biodiesel, the alternative fuel additive, is eating the dust of corn ethanol.

Biodiesel is made mainly from soybean oil, and the price of soybeans is increasing as farmers put more and more land into the production of corn, the more profitable crop of the two.

A new study by economists at Iowa State University suggests the biodiesel market won’t grow significantly unless the government requires its usage or adds more subsidies.

Europe is moving as forcefully in biodiesel production as the United States is in ethanol.

Estimates are that in three years time, as much as 11% of Europe’s farmland could be devoted to bioenergy crops. However, stiff competition from Brazil and other low-cost producers is just one of the possible clouds on the horizon.

Biofuel is fuel that comes from biomass-some examples are manure and plants. It is our latest technology to compensate for our oil shortages. As much as we think we are gaining from this new discovery….the truth is-we’re not. Livestock equipment is being snapped up as fast as it is being produced. . Fertilizer prices have gone up an average of 11.06 percent. What’s really behind this wave of optimism? The price of potatoes increased by nearly 40% now being around $280 a tonne. Last summer, the price of potatoes increased even more because there was no rainfall in June or July. This is where global warming ties in. Because of global warming, prices of food have soared because of lack of rain and extremely hot weather. This also comes in the way of the new biofuel.

The machinery sales have soared. The German market leader in cultivation machinery reported that even before the end of last year, its order books were full for four months ahead. Now, this is all great for farmers and machinery manufacturers but there are already complaints about the increased prices.

According to the University of Hohenheim in Stuttgart, Germany, around 50 million acres of farmland in the Europian Union will be cut, composted, or harvested for bioenergy in three years time. That’s 11% of all farmland. Even more spectacular are the projections for 13 years down the road. By then, about 30% of farmland will be dedicated to growing for biogas or biofuel. Markets are already complaining that the price of vegetable oils has soared since the biodiesel demand took a bite out of the available crop. What’s going to happen to the feed costs of livestock producers if the growth of energy cropping continues growing??

Peder Jensen, of the European Environment Agency in Copenhagen said, “If you make biofuels properly, you will reduce greenhouse emissions… But that depends very much on the types of plants and how they’re grown and processed. You can end up with a 90 percent reduction compared to fossil fuels – or a 20 percent increase.”

Do you guys think biofuel will have a negative or positive effect on poor people?

With the increasing demand for biofuel, the poor will suffer tremendously at the increased price of food.

Biofuel will affect us in a very direct way. The food prices will rise amazingly. What will happen to our food???

We, as young activists, need to do something to prevent this from happening. By encouraging biofuel, we will not only change our lives negatively but everyone’s, especially the poor. We should try to raise awareness of the negative aspects of biofuel. It would also help to reduce the amount of resources we use as they are running out right now. Right now, the prices for all products are at the highest they have ever been and are expected to increase. Some studies show that biofuel can make carbon dioxide outputs worse. This is not to mention the effect biofuels will have in putting more wild and forest land under the till. Time is running out!! A $400 million biodiesel and ethanol refinery mill will be built in central Alberta pretty soon. Something has to be done. We are the hope of the future.

Now that I have given you the facts, I will leave the decision with you….you can choose toBut at the end, the choice is yours: Feed yourself or feed your car!

Which will you choose??

How many of you guys would choose to support biofuel??

And how many of you guys would be against it???