Many experts, such as Pimentel, saw this coming years ago. Our
policies led directly to it, which is a disgrace and a crime against
humanity. See:
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/14/world.food.crisis/index.html
Some quotes:
The issue is also fueling a rising debate over how much the rising
prices can be blamed on ethanol production. The basic argument is
that because ethanol comes from corn, the push to replace some
traditional fuels with ethanol has created a new demand for corn that
has thrown off world food prices.
Jean Ziegler, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to food, has
called using food crops to create ethanol "a crime against humanity."
"We've been putting our food into the gas tank -- this
corn-to-ethanol subsidy which our government is doing really makes
little sense," said Columbia University's Sachs.
Former President Clinton, at a campaign stop for his wife in
Pennsylvania over the weekend, said, "Corn is the single most
inefficient way to produce ethanol because it uses a lot of energy
and because it drives up the price of food."
Some environmental groups reject the focus on ethanol in examining food prices.
"The contrived food vs. fuel debate has reared its ugly head once
again," the Renewable Fuels Association says on its Web site, adding
that "numerous statistical analyses have demonstrated that the price
of oil -- not corn prices or ethanol production -- has the greatest
impact on consumer food prices because it is integral to virtually
every phase of food production, from processing to packaging to
transportation."
Analysts agree the cost of fuel is among the reasons for the
skyrocketing prices.
