Ethanol Can Replace Gasoline With Big Energy Savings, Comparable Impact On Greenhouse Gases

Putting ethanol instead of gasoline in your tank saves oil and is probably no worse for the environment than burning gasoline, according to a new analysis by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.

The researchers note, however, that new technologies now in development promise to make ethanol a truly "green" fuel with significantly less environmental impact than gasoline.

The analysis, appearing in this week's issue of Science, attempts to settle the ongoing debate over whether ethanol is a good substitute for gasoline and thus can help lessen the country's reliance on foreign oil and support farmers in the bargain. The UC Berkeley study weighs these arguments against other studies claiming that it takes more energy to grow the corn to make ethanol than we get out of ethanol when we burn it.

more here...
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases...0126194250.htm

Sounds better than oil, but it does raise some questions...
Will fuel crop production take precedence over the growth of food crops because of profitability, possibly causing food shortages? Will the price of fuel go down or the price of food go up, making it harder for the world's poor to afford proper nutrition?
Serious things to consider given the state of the world's populations in addition to the state of the world itself.

I think it is interesting Bush starts talking about oil alternatives after buying scientists to bash global warming.

FLIPPITY FLOPPITY