Saturday, 19 June 2010 22:00 Last Updated on Wednesday, 23 June 2010 21:33
Jonah Goldberg in his infinite wisdom posted a column Saturday, June 19, stating that oil is the true "green" fuel. Why in the world would he make such a statement? Is he on drugs? His rationale is that the BP spill is not as bad as the pollution from farm fertilizer run-off in the gulf that creates dead zones.
He goes on to say that growing corn to produce ethanol as a substitute for oil takes water and land from the production of food. Furthermore he states that we will lose $1 trillion in economic benefits, which he fails to enumerate. Next he states we will have to buy most of our oil from foreign producers. Finally he says that bio fuels are inefficient and costly and would require 30% more land to replace oil for transportation and would encourage the destruction of rain forests in countries like Brazil.
He dismisses the effect of burning fossil fuels on the environment "as even European governments are starting to do" He claims that business as usual, namely burning fossil fuels, frees up more resources for vulnerable species, land for recreation and farming, and saves fresh water. while saving billions from back breaking toil. Mr Goldberg is so wrong on so many levels that I will answer his points serially. Check back daily for the reasons he is so confused.