Today in Biofuels Opinion: “We do have a ‘perfect storm’ with the impending food crisis, climate change and the recent economic crisis.”

Clare Oxborrow, Sr. Food Campaigner, Friends of the Earth: “The Government was in danger of being blinded by “the white heat of technology” and putting human and environmental health at risk. We do have a ‘perfect storm’ with the impending food crisis, climate change and the recent economic crisis. It might seem like the perfect opportunity for the bio-tech industry to promote its products but the drivers of this crisis are so complex and need to be tackled at a fundamental level – just the thought that GM can solve this or play an important part is pie in the sky.”

Michael Kanellos in Greentech Media: “Liquid fuel is a commodity, it turns out. Brazilian drivers in many states are switching from ethanol made from sugar cane to gas as higher sugar prices are pushing ethanol prices up, says Reuters. When ethanol costs about 70 percent as much or more than gas, drivers switch. Ethanol only provides about two-thirds of the energy content that gas does; as a result, when it passes the 70 percent mark, it effectively becomes more expensive. In big cities like São Paolo and Rio, ethanol costs 60 percent to 67 percent of the price of gas, so drivers still pick it up. After taxes, it’s still economical.”

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