Biofuels Policy May Kill 200,000 Per Year in the Third World

There are a number of different biofuel technologies, some of these technologies such as 2nd, 3rd and 4th generation biofuels do not cause issues with regards to food production, therefore it would not be prudent to oppose all biofuels through mere association. However, other more common sources of biofuel production can significantly impact food production - with deadly consequences.

Biofuels Policy May Kill 200,000 Per Year in the Third World

Research by the World Bank indicates that the increase in biofuels production over 2004 levels would push more than 35 million additional people into absolute poverty in 2010 in developing countries. Using statistics from the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Indur Goklany estimates that this would lead to at least 192,000 excess deaths per year, plus disease resulting in the loss of 6.7 million disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) per year. These exceed the estimated annual toll of 141,000 deaths and 5.4 million lost DALYs that the World Health Organization attributes to global warming. Thus, developed world policies intended to mitigate global warming probably have increased death and disease in developing countries rather than reducing them. Goklany also notes that death and disease from poverty are a fact, whereas death and disease from global warming are hypothetical.

Thus, the biofuel remedy for global warming may be worse than the disease it purports to alleviate.

www.prnewswire.com...

If we are to mitigate global warming as well as issues such as energy security, we should be investing in sources of energy that can be readily scaled up significantly which do not kill up to 200,000 people per year nor cause up to half a trillion dollars worth of external cost (in the US alone) per year, as in the case of coal.

One acre of ALGAE can produce a thousand times more bio fuel than an care of corn, and algae grows in wetlands unsuitable for food production.
There IS case for biofuels.
The use of more highly efficient technology to spread the use of battery powered vehicles and radical combustion technologies like the ballard engine in busses....
There are already pollutionless options.
We dont need food to suffer for fuel production.