Mindmeld, You don't think oil is expensive? What if I told you that biofuels cost around the same amount, but are reliant on different commodities like corn, which we can grow ourselves? Same cost, but changes your country's risk and security posture. It is a no-brainer for countries to do this.
First of all, oil is expensive because of supply and demand. And the biggest source of demand is us. Reduce that demand, and I guarantee you that other nations will be happy to buy that cheap oil and NOT follow in our footsteps. Unless, of course, you come up with something better than oil.
As for biofuels, the issue is cost of production. How much does it cost to drill for oil vs. growing, fertilizing, irrigating, and harvesting crops? That depends on a lot of things, such as the scarcity of oil (Middle East has us beat here, since they don't have environmental or NIMBY concerns like we do), and how many bushels of crops are necessary to produce one gallon of biofuel.
The bottom line is that although I agree with the direction you want to take, it's anything but a no-brainer. Say what you want about oil, but the truth is that it's the most economical source of energy we have right now, barring the political and environmental impact.
Tenchusatsu |
