An Earful on Ethanol: Rising Food Prices Inefficient Production and Other Problems

Just a year ago ethanol was the renewable fuel of the moment. Derived mostly from corn grown in America’s heartland it was promoted as a home-grown ticket to energy independence for the U.S. and other oil-importing nations. Today however ethanol’s prospects look somewhat cloudy. Critics around the world are crying foul over rising food prices while others say that it takes more resources to create ethanol than the alternative fuel provides. According to experts at Wharton and elsewhere ethanol underscores the hazards involved in the development of any new energy source where failure to understand the broader impact of production can result in unintended consequences.

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