Tim Worstall

Drink, Don’t Drive

Owen Barder:

I have just learned from DFID’s Chief Economist, Tony Venables, that
the grain required to fill a 25-gallon SUV gas tank with ethanol will
feed one person for a year.

Interesting:

Since the early 60’s the average consumption of alcohol of adults1  worldwide, expressed as litres of pure alcohol from beer, wine and spirits, has ranged from 4 to 6 litres per person per year.

So the choices are, food for one person, one tank full of fuel or 100 people supplied for a year with alcohol.

Like the man said, drink, don’t drive.

In

7 responses

  1. Nigel Sedgwick Avatar
    Nigel Sedgwick

    And how far could one, as necessary sometimes in olden days, have a 4-seater horse-drawn coach pulled on the same weight of oats/grass as the food for a person for a year?
    Best regards

    Reply
  2. eric Avatar
    eric

    It may have been the case that in days of yore (ahhh….remember them) a coach and horses were just as inefficient. However that was over a hundred years ago. The point being surely we should all be living in flying cities wearing silver suits by now.
    And anyway, the conversion of one form of energy from one form to another is usually pretty inefficient. Applaud Australia for announcing a ban on conventional light bulbs by 2009, it is steps like this that we should be talking.
    Whatever we do, we’d better do it quickly
    http://comment.independent.co.uk/commentators/article2283916.ece
    http://www.ft.com/cms/s/11ba213e-bf7e-11db-9ac2-000b5df10621.html
    perhaps this is the anwser http://steorn.com/orbo/
    🙂

    Reply
  3. Steve Avatar
    Steve

    Pedant Alert
    Tim your arithmetic appears to be influenced by the alcohol as well.
    it’s approximately 4.5 litres per gallon, so it is going to be alcohol for 20 ish people.
    Disclosure: Can’t be arsed to get the accurate us gallon to litre conversion ratio.
    Tim adds: You’re correct. 3.8 to the US isn’t it?

    Reply
  4. Gus Abraham Avatar
    Gus Abraham

    Here’s a simpler equation:
    Stop using cars.
    Technology won’t save you anymore.

    Reply
  5. AntiCitizenOne Avatar
    AntiCitizenOne

    Here’s a simpler equation
    If you’re green commit suicide.
    Instant 5-7% reduction in hot air emissions.

    Reply
  6. johnny bonk Avatar
    johnny bonk

    “Technology won’t save you anymore” … how so? Why do you say that?
    “And how far could one, as necessary sometimes in olden days, have a 4-seater horse-drawn coach pulled on the same weight of oats/grass as the food for a person for a year?”
    …. well, let us suppose that a person can walk 30 miles per day – 10,000 miles per year. If you get one tenth of that milage from a horse (its probably nearer on fifth) then 1000 miles.

    Reply
  7. Saltation Avatar
    Saltation

    Note that the biofuel pressure is driving up very rapidly the price of American cropland: 35%yoy growth
    “The Future is Farmland”

    Reply

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