Varför matpriserna går upp
Såg en intressant artikel på The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2008/jul/03/biofuels.re...
Biofuels have forced global food prices up by 75% - far more than previously estimated - according to a confidential World Bank report obtained by the Guardian.
The damning unpublished assessment is based on the most detailed analysis of the crisis so far, carried out by an internationally-respected economist at global financial body.
The figure emphatically contradicts the US government's claims that plant-derived fuels contribute less than 3% to food-price rises. It will add to pressure on governments in Washington and across Europe, which have turned to plant-derived fuels to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and reduce their dependence on imported oil.
...
"Political leaders seem intent on suppressing and ignoring the strong evidence that biofuels are a major factor in recent food price rises," said Robert Bailey, policy adviser at Oxfam. "It is imperative that we have the full picture. While politicians concentrate on keeping industry lobbies happy, people in poor countries cannot afford enough to eat."
...
"Without the increase in biofuels, global wheat and maize stocks would not have declined appreciably and price increases due to other factors would have been moderate," says the report. The basket of food prices examined in the study rose by 140% between 2002 and this February. The report estimates that higher energy and fertiliser prices accounted for an increase of only 15%, while biofuels have been responsible for a 75% jump over that period.
...
Såhär ligger det till:
Politiker, i kombination med lobbygrupper, har bestämt att mat ska användas till biobränslen.
Eftersom folket inte vill ha biobränslen lika mycket som de vill ha mat betalar de hellre för mat än bränsle (enkel ekonomi). Politikerna ger därför bidrag till bönderna, för att skapa biobränsle istället.
Maten eldas upp istället för att ätas. Matpriserna stiger 75%.
Det är dags att avskaffa bidragen till bönder. Det skadar dig och det skadar mig för att maten blir dyrare. Det skadar fattiga länder i afrika (som inte kan konkurrera mot västerländska bönder som får bidrag). Hjälper det miljön? Inte nödvändigtvis.
Supporters of biofuels argue that they are a greener alternative to relying on oil and other fossil fuels, but even that claim has been disputed by some experts, who argue that it does not apply to US production of ethanol from plants.
"It is clear that some biofuels have huge impacts on food prices," said Dr David King, the government's former chief scientific adviser, last night. "All we are doing by supporting these is subsidising higher food prices, while doing nothing to tackle climate change."
Den här situationen är väldigt lik det kinesiska "stora språnget", där politikerna där bestämde att stål var viktigare än mat, och mellan 14 till 43 miljoner svalt ihjäl.
During the Great Leap Forward, farming was organized into communes and the cultivation of private plots forbidden. This forced collectivisation substantially reduced the incentives for peasants to work well. Iron and steel production was identified as a key requirement for economic advancement. Millions of peasants were ordered away from agricultural work to join the iron and steel production workforce.
Mat är för viktigt för att politiker planekonomiskt ska diktera om eller vad det ska användas till!
Edit: 20:47
Kolla in Wikipediaartikeln nedan för info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_vs_fuel
France, Germany, The United Kingdom and The United States governments have supported biofuels with tax breaks, mandated use, and subsidies. These policies have the unintended consequence of diverting resources from food production and leading to surging food prices and the potential destruction of natural habitats.[2][15]
...man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: As government expands, liberty contracts.