Food Or Fuel?

Can you imagine a time when you will be asked or forced to make a choice between having food or fuel? Well, it will be good if you will be asked at all! The present trend in the response to the reduction of carbon emissions through the use of fuels obtained from crops with high prospective fuel content has been gaining a lot of ground especially among developed nations. The sprint for reduction and mitigation of carbon emissions had started. By 2008, signatories of the Kyoto Protocol which had assigned percentage carbon reductions, need to comply or else they will face legal consequences before the United Nations.

Among the ways in which carbon emissions will be reduced is the shift and/or introduction of bio-fuel, a gas produced from crops. It is known to have very low carbon emission after combustion. However, the question now lies in the amount of crops needed to produce the fuel. This will involve vast amount of land, cropping effect on the land due to the intensive use of fertilizers, pesticides, insecticides and other chemical additives, farming methods such as crop rotation and fallowing, effect on the community because of the chemical use to the crops and land, and local food products which may compete with the bio-fuel crop. There is also the question of where will we get the land? As was pointed out previously, there is a possibility of reducing the land use for food crop in favor of bio-fuel crop. There is the possibility of using even declared heritage or national park lands. Proponents of this method say that there are vast unused lands all over the world. If people would not take advantage of these lands for food purposes, we might as well use them for bio-fuel. This seems to hold water.Yes, these lands maybe used but not with abandon. There are affects, as mentioned above which must be avoided. Otherwise, the land, and we are talking about millions of hectares, may be left useless after a certain time. Desertification is also a possibility that must not be left out. Extreme care and strict supervision should be made. This means that we are not really against the production and use of bio-fuel. Anything that this world could offer to make life easier and comfortable is welcome. But when it begins to destroy especially on the long term basis, it should be abandoned and not even given a chance.

Here comes in the issue of food security. This is very much evident in the case of developing countries who are already experiencing difficulties even to make both end meet. The entrance of bio-fuel threatens extremely their condition and therefore makes the situation more volatile and delicate. If and when the viability of planting bio-fuel crops had been established, the food security of those affected should be addressed. They could not be left hungry or dying for the sake of the production of fuel.

It is really unfortunate that the choice would even come up. It should be an easy choice. But given the circumstances, some countries seem to make it possible and see it as not immoral at all. When the issue becomes solely economical, these things are either set aside or lightly considered. The good news is that we may not face that situation for we are still coping well at present. But the future is not guaranteed. It maybe a choice we would leave for the next generation. Wow! What a heritage of this generation to the next! Am not proud! I hope you too!