Ecology supporters are waking up to the fact that corporate lobbyists, the corn lobby, and now President Bush have sold them a bill of goods. Corn ethanol does almost nothing to stop global warming, diverts huge amounts of tax money from better projects like cellulose ethanol, and corn is one of the most damaging crops ecologically. In 2007 corn acreage is increasing from 78 to almost 90 million acres. Please read what some of the country's best scientists have to say. They approve of biodiesel to help with climate change, but not corn ethanol.

From "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,"
July, 2006. (PDF

)

Both corn and soybean production have negative environmental impacts through movement of agrichemicals, especially nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and pesticides from farms to other habitats and aquifers. Agricultural N and P are transported ... to coastal waters causing eutrophication, loss of biodiversity, and elevated nitrate and nitrite in drinking-water wells. ...

Biodiesel uses only 1.0% of the N, 8.3% of the P, and 13% of the pesticide (by weight) used for corn grain ethanol. The markedly greater releases of N, P, and pesticides from corn, per unit of energy gain, have substantial environmental consequences, including being a major source of the N inputs leading to the "dead zone" in the Gulf of Mexico and to nitrate, nitrite, and pesticide residues in well water. Moreover, pesticides used in corn production tend to be more environmentally harmful and persistent than those used to grow soybeans.

Although blending ethanol with gasoline at low levels as an oxygenate can lower emissions of carbon monoxide (CO), volatile organic compounds (VOC), and [some] particulate matter,

total life-cycle emissions of five major air pollutants [CO, VOC, PM10, oxides of sulfur (SOx), and oxides of nitrogen (NOx)] are higher with the ‘‘E85’’ corn grain ethanol–gasoline blend than with gasoline per unit of energy released upon combustion.

Warning is sounded on ethanol use
The fuel would create more ground-level ozone than gasoline if used heavily
April 17, 2007. L.A. Times, By Janet Wilson

Ethanol would have serious health effects if heavily used in cars, producing more ground-level ozone than gasoline, particularly in the Los Angeles Basin, according to a Stanford University study out today.

"Ethanol is being promoted as a clean and renewable fuel that will reduce global warming and air pollution," said Mark Z. Jacobson, an associate professor of civil and environmental engineering and author of the study in the online edition of Environmental Science and Technology. "But our results show that a high blend of ethanol poses an equal or greater risk to public health than gasoline, which already causes significant health damage."

Ozone is a key ingredient in smog, and when inhaled even at low levels it can harm lungs, aggravate asthma and impair immune systems.

http://zfacts.com/p/752.html | 01/18/12 07:17 GMT
Modified: Fri, 27 Apr 2007 16:21:48 GMT