Biofuels, oil and food security

I've just been looking at an interesting world bank report from the Guardian Website.

http://image.guardian.co.uk/sys-files/Environment/documents/2008/07/10/Biofuels.PDF

There are many claims and counterclaims about the effects of biofuels on food prices and availability which highlights the need to do some serious thinking about our direction.

I continue to be amazed at the ongoing head-in-the-sand idea that biofuels are going to allow us to continue with life as usual in the west. As I see it, there is simply no way we can keep consuming energy at the same rate as we currently do (let alone a faster rate, as we seem to bve heading towards) using a renewable resource.

I guess I have a bit of a bias here but when I look hard at the technological solutions that many people are suggesting I"m left thinking ... actually we need to be working on fostering social change and helping people live within the limits. most technological solutions seem to be offered as a way for us to keep mindlessly consuming which in turn seems to making us even more intent on consuming more in search of some kind of elusive satisfaction. This seems like a bit of a vicious cycle to me!

C