In which Simon Donner expands on the way ethanol production kills the ocean:
The new US Energy Policy calls for 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels by the year 2022. Of that, 15 billion can be produced from corn starch. Our study found meeting those would cause a 10-34% increase in nitrogen loading to the Gulf of Mexico.
Even without considering any conversion to ethanol, it is instructive to consider that simply increasing humanity’s numbers equivalent to this corn consumption has the same effect on the oceans.
Best,
D