The Environmental Costs of Corn-Based Ethanol

I've written extensively about the high price of genetically engineered (GE) crops on human health and ecosystems, and these ramifications are becoming increasingly well-known.

November 26, 2013 | Source: Mercola.com | by Dr. Mercola

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I’ve written extensively about the high price of genetically engineered (GE) crops on human health and ecosystems, and these ramifications are becoming increasingly well-known.

I’ve also railed against the flawed agricultural subsidies that promote the propagation of GE corn and soy, both of which can now be found in most processed foods. But the problems with corn, and GE corn in particular, do not end there.

In 2007, Congress passed a law requiring gasoline to be mixed with ethanol, ostensibly to reduce dependence on foreign oil. Ethanol was also a major part of Obama’s presidential platform for “green” energy, which he touted as the answer to global warming.

While the pesticide producers and junk food manufacturers continue to pound their purpose to ‘feed the world’, they seem to completely dismiss that we’ve destroyed millions of acres of wildlife to accommodate our federal mandate to grow ‘fuel’ instead of food. 

I think we all understand quite clearly that most nutritional needs have nothing to do with the capacity to grow food, we already have resources to grow plenty of nutritional food for the planet if that’s what we were really trying to accomplish. 

The US agriculture policy ensures our failure, designed by the interests of pesticide and junk food corporations to produce profits and not nutrition. What better example than burning food for fueling our engines? How does this help feed the world?