The (un)ethics of ethanol

The Senate voted June 16, 73-27, to end all taxpayer-funded subsidies for ethanol. Three cheers for this first step toward restoring corn-based sanity -- and ethics! Yes, this bill has a rocky road ahead -- even a potential veto by the White House -- but it’s a start.

There are serious ethical questions about the diversion of a large part of our corn crop here in the United States from food to fuel.

I certainly believe that we need to find alternatives to coal and oil, but I’m not convinced that ethanol is the answer. Yes, it’s renewable, and yes, it does not require shipment from the Middle East. But it’s impact on the environment remains highly debatable.

And in a world where millions go hungry, the diversion of crop land to fuel land is a real moral issue. Indeed, the World Bank and other international organizations recently called on governments to stop ethanol subsidies because they were driving up world food prices.

That is something the poor of the world cannot afford.