A real alternative would be nuclear fusion. Unlimited electricity could make the world into a near-Eden in some ways. But there is no political benefit to anyone for doing so right now.

Dan, Metro-Toledo, USA / Ohio

I've also read that for the U.S. to have a complete ethanol switch from fossil fuels would require most of the arable land in the world for it's production.... Hmmmmm obviously biofuel and food production will have to reach a balance but at what price? Poor Third world countries will have to decide biofuel or food but will not have the choice of having both...

Our cheap free ride of crude oil is what made our industrial revolution so successful but the crash is coming when the crude runs out... Then what?

R Bailey, San Rafael,, USA/California

Just shows that there's no free ride. biofuels are not sustainable and are not the long term answer to our energy requirements.
Ethanol is is corn-based politics.

Steve, Alton, USA/Iowa

"The Government would ask producers to switch to such nonfood crops as cassava and sorghum, used to make various distilled liquors." , the cassava and sorghum to some degree are also food and also crops .Then maybe only can use some wastes to produce ethanol .Or try to find some way to explore how to use air !

Mary , Songyuan , China

China has hit the nail on the head! What the "alternative fuels" people aren't telling you is that "they will be using your food to make fuels as opposed to crude oil which no one eats". It only stands to reason that if you take away products that are now used for food and drink (beer drinkers are already feeling the pinch) and use them instead to provide fuel for powering engines, what is going to be left to eat or drink?
Everyone eats corn in one form or another as well as grains in various varieties. We need to start thinking with our heads and not rush to swap one problem for another.

George, Silver Springs, USA/Florida

People will eventually get the message that biofuels are not the panacea for peak oil. An EROEI of 1.35 is pathetic and doesn't take into account the tremendous damage done to the land by this monocrop. It will be GM and so will provide handsome profits to agribusiness and votes to the politicians. What a mess.

neal, Gunnislake,

We need a complete economic collapse in the West that can be blamed on the environmentalists so we can go after them with a viciousness the world has never seen. Once they are out of the way we can solver our problems in a rational and scientific way that includes drilling in Anwar, off the costs California, building nuclear power plants etc. I will relish the demise of the environmentalists.

Adamo Alanda, Clovis, NM

Finally people begin to realise that all these so called alternative means of producing energy such as bio fuel,
solar energy , wind turbines etc., are nothing but a lot of hot air. They are all inefficient, expensive as well as environmentally unfriendly in their own ways. At present , the only practical way of producing energy in huge quantity ,not using fossil fuels, is nuclear power. The sooner we recognise this scientific fact and plan for our future energy needs the less chance we will be held at ransom by the Russian . Putin recently made it very clear that the Russian government has no desire to cooperate with the West on many international issues, and they will make use of every opportunity to assert its influence in the world stage. At the moment the most powerful weapon at their disposal is the huge energy reserves in their country. The only sensible step for us to take in order to achieve self sufficiency in energy and world peace is to become less reliant on fossil fuels

Wing, Poole, UK

China's decision is right.
Biofuel, especially in food-based fuel energy is being researched and proved as not a purely clean renewable energy for an alternative of fossil fuels in the future.

There is a good will to search clean renewable energy among different countries so far, virtually, there is a long way we will need to go in which we can find comparatively clean renewable energy technology which can maximize its energy efficiency and minimize its negative impacts to our environment.

Wind, tide, mini-scale hydro, solar, geothermic energies might be the better choices at present. But we need to consider that minimize the production line and raw material supply chain's environmental pollution at first.

bill, Beijing, China

China's decision is right.
Biofuel, especially in food-based fuel energy is being researched and proved as not a purely clean renewable energy for an alternative of fossil fuel in the future.

There is a good will to search clean renewable energy among different countries so far, virtually, there is a long way we will need to go in which we can find comparatively clean renewable energy technology which can maximize its energy efficiency and minimize its negative impacts to our environment.

Wind, tide, mini-scale hydro, solar, geothermic energies might be the better choices at present. But we need to consider that minimize the production line and raw material supply chain's environmental pollution at first.

bill, Beijing, China

People will eventually get the message that biofuels are not the panacea of peak oil. A 1.35 EROEI is pathetic when compared to the damage a monocrop is going to do to so much land. No doubt it will be GM based and so profit agri-business handsomely. Good for votes.

neal, Gunnislake,

The recent drive for plant based fuels is not the solution
to the fuel problem. Using food crops to produce ethanol
isn't particulary efficient and the demand for the food crops
in the use of animal feed etc. just place supply problems in
another area.
North Americans have to change their way of thinking
about what types of vehicle they drive. Research has
shown that other waste products (wood wastes) can
produce fuels that are a better fit in the environment and
require less energy to manufacture. Using corn to make
fuel makes very little practical sense. Its really about the
power oil-producers have over us that drives this
corn-ethanol issue. What do we have to give up to
grow corn for fuel? there isn't enough corn in North
America to fuel our wasteful vehicles.
wasteful vehicles.

Douglas Schop, Coquitlam BC, Canada