HEMP SHOULD BE UTILIZED FOR ETHANOL PRODUCTION INSTEAD OF FOOD GRAINS
I have some serious concerns about the mad push for food grains to be used for bio-fuel initiatives.
In an article this week in the Ottawa Citizen, David Warren wrote in his story, "In the end, it's the poor who pay the price"(http://www.canada.com/windsorstar/news/editorial/story.html?id=2a843fec-bd65-4fa8-9a97-9c1f1af49c12) " A few weeks ago, I wrote -- facetiously -- that an effective response to global warming and/or the atmospheric accumulation of carbon dioxide would be to cut the world's food consumption by half. This could be achieved if we would all agree to eat only on odd-numbered days.
Among the advantages of having our environmental commissars enforce this scheme, I mentioned the halving of the factory and transport infrastructure that delivers the planet's food. But beyond this, the food industry's billion or so poorest customers, who barely get enough to eat now, would be removed from the carbon account entirely. Think of it on the analogy of a corporate buy-out, I suggested:
"At first, there is a net increase in CO2 'costs' as people die and their corpses decay. But later, after they have finished decaying, there are substantial and permanent net savings." "
Among the advantages of having our environmental commissars enforce this scheme, I mentioned the halving of the factory and transport infrastructure that delivers the planet's food. But beyond this, the food industry's billion or so poorest customers, who barely get enough to eat now, would be removed from the carbon account entirely. Think of it on the analogy of a corporate buy-out, I suggested:
"At first, there is a net increase in CO2 'costs' as people die and their corpses decay. But later, after they have finished decaying, there are substantial and permanent net savings." "
My opinion on this matter is that he is absolutely correct in the assumption that we are about to starve the poorest of the poor in order to consume their food for our fuel needs. But he is also wrong further into the article that the reliance on fossil fuels should remain.
The polluting technology of the petroleum industry is creating a catastrophe environmentally contrary to what Mr warren says.
There is a fuel source, readily available, that requires little in the way of resources , and can be grown throughout North america, and throughout the world at low cost.
We could be utilizing hemp, not for bio-diesel as that process is too expensive as of yet, but for the production of ethanol which is low cost, and of low pressure to the environment. And on top of that, we would be providing Canadian farmers with the ability and opportunity to develope a new crop for the purpose of creating better farm family incomes as this fuel source would be supply and demand based, thereby increasing the value of the crop grown.
Removing food from a dwindling supply chain for an ever increasing world population is just wrong.
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7 comments:
If hemp cultivation proves to be successful and more profitable than food crops what's to stop farmers from replacing food crops with hemp?
Land that isn't slated for food production could be used. Hemp requires very little management,and can be grown in the worst soil conditions.
At present, our governments North America wide pay farmers to remove land from production. Perhaps asking farmers to put it back into production for food or hemp would be smart thinking. Canada has large tracts of land that are suitable for hemp. Most of them are located in the north. Presently, most of that land sits fallow.
Hemp will grow in cold climates. Russia and China both grow hemp in their colder regions, raising the possibility that we could do the same, unless we don't want to.
Yes. I know all that stuff but you didn't answer the question.
If a farmer currently has land dedicated to or "slated for" food production what's to stop him from switching to hemp if there's more profit in hemp? Will we have more government regulations loaded onto the shoulders of farmers? Will the government decide who and who may not grow hemp and where they can grow it?
If it's going to become a viable replacement for or significant addition to our fossil fuel use you can bet the government is going to want to maintain tight control over price and production. They are also going to make sure the "right" people reap the profits.
So that's why EXXON has been buying up farmland. :)
We can eat hemp...it's better for us than most things
Hemp seeds are quite nutritious but the rest of the plant is mostly fibre. That's why it makes such good rope. If you eat the whole plant everything would scoot through you so fast you'd probably starve to death. :)
You might be right about that one! we'd shit ourselves to death from all that fibre. Maybe William Shatner can help us out selling that part of it:)
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