How Does Demand for Ethanol Affect Impoverished Mexican Families?
Ethanol, a corn based alternative fuel, has been hailed by the alternative energy community as a way to reduce dependence on petroleum fuels. Rising demand for ethanol, especially in America, has led to an interesting side affect on the global market: the cost of corn rapidly increased in 2006, quadrupling in some areas. The increased price of corn has led to a potential nutritional crisis for impoverished Mexican families, which rely heavily on corn tortillas for nutrition. Ethanol has been proposed as a source of fuel for vehicles because it is a renewable energy source. If the corn grown to make the ethanol is sustainably and sensibly grown, the crop can yield raw material for fuel efficiently and with far less environmental impact than petroleum based fuels. Some states allow gas stations to mix ethanol and conventional petroleum based fuels, while in other areas, cars which run entirely on ethanol are being driven by people from all walks of life. The development of more efficient
