…for a green ideology, and corporate greed:
…many worry that Guatemala’s poor are already suffering from the diversion of food to fuel. “There are pros and cons to biofuel, but not here,” said Misael Gonzáles of C.U.C., a labor union for Guatemala’s farmers. “These people don’t have enough to eat. They need food. They need land. They can’t eat biofuel, and they don’t drive cars.”
This isn’t a market failure. It’s a deliberate distortion of markets through government policy. In some sense, it’s almost as criminally egregious as the behavior of the British during The Hunger in Ireland.
I completely agree about the market distortions, because we are manipulating our supply of corn and where it goes by subsidies. Without subsidizing, selling corn for food might be the more lucrative option than biofuel, which would provide more realistic prices to Guatamala (or US poor) for food.
However, there’s another aspect of this story I don’t agree. Unless Guatamala is also subsidizing towards biofuel, what their farms are doing is a completely separate issue. No doubt US subsidy is doing what subsidies do and creating an artificially price for biofuels. However, if that market price is more lucrative to the Guatamalan farmer, then they should sell to biofuel rather then feedstock. You point to:
“These people don’t have enough to eat. They need food. They need land. They can’t eat biofuel, and they don’t drive cars.”
But what about the part above:
Large companies like Pantaleon Sugar Holdings, Guatemala’s leading sugar producer, are profiting from that new demand, with recent annual growth of more than 30 percent. The Inter-American Development Bank says the new industry could bring an infusion of cash and jobs to Guatemala’s rural economy if developed properly.
The market in Guatamala should adjust if left alone.
But Rand, you are right. It is corporate greed fueled by the green agenda.
Silly Rand. Everyone knows that the only people who matter have Ivy-league degrees in grievance studies…
Means nothing to them, in fact, a positive development.
The greens fully support the death of people, believing the population MUST be drastically reduced (except for wonderfully superior loving greens) to save the Earth.
As Agent Smith said, “You humans are a disease infecting this planet. WE are the cure.”
Sacrificing the lives of outsiders for the sake of the bounty of insiders – isn’t that the plot to The Wicker Man?
Not the beees! NOT THE BEEES!