Jessica ElliottIssues in Science and TechnologyDr. Nora Demers4-14-2009

BIOFUELS: FOOD OR FUEL?

FUEL…AND BIOFUELS

Using fuels to run our lives – we are COMPLETELY dependent!

Biofuel Movement…started with Mr. Ford and Mr. Diesel in the 19th century

Americans and their Manifest Destiny

It’s our RIGHT to use the land

It’s our RIGHT to OWN the land

Dependence on foreign oil…we need some alternatives

Fossil fuels increase global warming…this is bad!

TIMELINE

Apr 21, 753 BC – 476 AD- Roman Period, Used coal for fuel for heating and most importantly—Smelting of metals.

1600 - Coal becomes the dominant fuel in London

Late 1700’s – Widespread use of fossil fuels and the steam engine becomes popular and begins the industrial revolution

1805 – Steam-Powered Riverboat makes its debut increasing travel on major waterways

1816 – Natural gas becomes common in the United States

1859 – The first oil well is drilled in the United States in Titusville, PA

1864 – Henry David Thoreau publishes The Maine Woods beginning a call for conservation

1872 – Congress passed the Mining Law so that public and corporations could be land that was thought to have minerals in it for $5/acre or less

1900 – Rudolph Diesel runs his diesel engine on

peanut oil at the World’s Fair

1902 – First mass-produced, gasoline-powered cars from Oldsmobile

1903 – Wright Brothers used petroleum fuel for their planes and thus petroleum continued to be used for air travel

1920’s – Diesel engine manufactures began making engines to run on petro-diesel because it was cheaper

1970’s – US dependent on foreign oil as illustrated by the effects of the 1973 Oil Crisis

Early 1980’s – Biofuels making a comeback in Brazil and Argentina. However, then sugar prices rose dramatically

1997- Toyota unveils the Prius, the first mass-produced hybrid gas-electric car

Dec 19, 2007 – Energy Independence & Security Act of 2007 becomes a law

April 14, 2009 – Jessica Elliott presents “Biofuels: Food or Fuel” in an effort to enlighten the future

GREENHOUSE EFFECT AND ENVIRONMENTALIST MOVEMENT

Fossil fuels release greenhouse gases that subsequently warm up the earth this is global warming…

The heating of the earth presents many problems

Crops, Weathers, etc.

To reduce greenhouse gases present in our atmosphere, we need to find a way to fuel our lives with limited emissions

Each person leaves a Carbon Footprint on the earth. This is how much of our limited resources are needed to fuel our habits.

GREENHOUSE EFFECT AND ENVIRONMENTALIST MOVEMENT

WHY DID ANY OF THAT MATTER?

Greenhouse gases include carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide

Burning of fossil fuels such as wood, coal, oil, and gas release these chemicals into our atmosphere

If the greenhouse effect gets continues or gets worse, the earth will warm up affecting weather, climate, etc.

HINT…this will control your food growing practices…

Biofuels are said to release very limited amounts of these gases and are thus a better option for powering our planet…WE’RE SAVED!

BIOFUELS – CORN SPECIFICALLY

Corn contains sugar which can be broken down to produce ethanol (in its pure form it is a very clean burning fuel)

So this seems to be a good option…and us Americans have a lot of corn! Well…maybe not but we have a lot of people that will risk everything to grow it!

SO WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO WITH CORN?

We can eat it!

We can ship it around the world to feed poor and starving people for mere pennies per person!

We can feed it to our livestock!

Which we in turn can eat!

So…is using it for our fuel such a good idea?!

ANOTHER REASON WE NEED ALTERNATIVE ENERGY

We are currently dependent on foreign oil because we are incapable of satiating our thirst for fuel with solely our own resources.

Our major supplier is from the Middle East, …cause THAT’S a stable source…so when they get mad at us…they hurt us through fuel prices because we’re dependent.

We should get away from uncontrollable dependence.

I agree…we DO need to find another fuel source

THE BRIGHT IDEA!!!

We have starving people, both in the US and around the world.

We are undergoing incredible, unprecedented unpredictable climate changes that are devastating crop products world-wide.

We realize that we cannot live without constant, reliable fuel sources (and we need a lot!)

SO…LET’S SPEND TONS OF MONEY DEVELOPING WAYS TO MIX THESE TWO TRAGEDIES INTO ONE SUPER-TRAGEDY!

Instead of relying on fickle middle eastern countries, we’ll depend on the weather and climate conditions to fuel our every-growing country! YES!!! That’s it!!!

AND THEN…

Come to find out. It’s not as clean as we thought… SURPRISE!!!

Welcome to today’s America!

MORE AND THEN…

As this new technology and accompanying fuel source is utilized - studies are done

AND…This new technology is expensive so the government makes up the difference so you can afford it

Now taxpayers are paying for others to use corn-based ethanol

SO NOW WHAT?

We need to spend more time and money on developing other, cleaner, more reliable alternative energy sources

These ways are out there…but they are grossly underdeveloped.

Lets take a quick look…

ALTERNATIVE ENERGIES

Geothermal Energy Cellulosic Energy

SO LET’S DO IT!

So in case you haven’t noticed…we don’t have very much in the way of technologies to implement the BETTER ideas…huh? How did that happen?!

The government did however cover these new technologies in the Clean Energy Act in 2007 giving these technologies room to grow…so that’s good!

CELLULOSIC TECHNOLOGY

A LITTLE FUN…PUBLIC OPINION ON FOOD FOR FUEL

QUESTIONS?

Please take note of the sarcasm used throughout

I have strong opinions…sorry!