The world is on track to reach dangerous levels of global warming much sooner than expected, according to new Australian research that highlights the alarming implications of rising energy demand. University of Queensland and Griffith University researchers have developed a “global energy tracker” which predicts average world temperatures could climb 1.5C above pre-industrial levels by 2020. That forecast, based on new modelling using long-term average projections on economic growth, population growth and energy use per person, points to a 2C rise by 2030. http://www.theguardian.com/environm...warming-will-happen-sooner-than-thought-study Study: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0149406
The obvious first and easy step is to replace gasoline with alcohol from sugar cane. - Slightly carbon negative, and conversion of existing IC engine is cheap (< $200 if done in large volume). There is more than enough abandoned pasture in low labor cost countries for growing cane. Many there have no job and planting & cutting cane is a low skill job. Converts these unemployed people into buyers of first world products. SUMMARY: A big win/win for all, but big oil.
But so far, every method of agriculture that would produce the volume needed to produce a viable gasoline replacement requires the input of gasoline. This means burning alcohol to make less alcohol.
