Peak Moment: Alcohol Can Be a Gas, Part II

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18 Nov 2007 | |
View all related to alcohol | biofuels | Peak Moment Television

Permaculturist David Blume discusses alcohol's low emissions, and producing alcohol as a biological complex in which wastes become raw materials for other processes. He claims that with one year of the U.S. Defense budget, the entire world could be set up to produce alcohol and permanently replace oil for transportation. He discusses vehicle conversion, and how citizens can undertake alcohol fuel distribution. Episode 79.

Janaia Donaldson hosts Peak Moment, a television series emphasizing positive responses to energy decline and climate change through local community action. How can we thrive, build stronger communities, and help one another in the transition from a fossil fuel-based lifestyle?


VideoPeak Moment: Alcohol Can Be a Gas, Part II (video) (length 28 min.): stream
AudioPeak Moment: Alcohol Can Be a Gas, Part II (audio) (length 28 min): download, stream

A follow up interview?

Submitted by eclipse on Tue, 2007-11-27 00:22.
Just voicing concern that these ethanol articles may be misleading over the ERoEI of ethanol and also the quantities of ethanol that can be produced. Many voices in the peak oil world are demanding a follow up interview or debate be arranged by GPM. This debate should be between Pimentel or other ethanol experts and Mr Blume, comprehensively covering Blume's claims on ERoEI and volumes. Otherwise, if what Mr Blume expounds is true, why does GPM have a relocalization network at all? Why look at Post-Carbon Cities? We'll just switch to ethanol as the free-market flat earthers have said all along...
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pro vs. con

Submitted by Andi Hazelwood on Tue, 2007-11-27 00:43.

The biofuels debate is a big one - and GPM has made the effort to allow both sides to speak. Peak Moment covered the "pro ethanol" side of things in these two stories:
http://globalpublicmedia.com/peak_moment_alcohol_can_be_a_gas_part_i
http://globalpublicmedia.com/peak_moment_alcohol_can_be_a_gas_part_ii

and Deconstructing Dinner covered the "against" side of the issue in these two stories:
http://globalpublicmedia.com/deconstructing_dinner_biofuel_boom_greenwas...
http://globalpublicmedia.com/deconstructing_dinner_biofuel_boom_greenwas...

All four are currently on the GPM front page.

Andi Hazelwood
Global Public Media
Post Carbon Institute

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Ethanol production is misleading

Submitted by crudedude on Tue, 2007-11-27 08:06.
This was interesting from the point of view of using waste streams as surpluses to get the most out of ethanol production into other food systems. But what is not really addressed is the mineral resource depletion of the soil, climate change potentially decimating the crops and loss of biodiversity. Essentially changing to alcohol would make our economies and activities even more vunerable to the unpredictable nature of nature. Unfortunately this attitude of still wanting to be able to fuel our cars etc... to continue our current lifestyle is the real problem and we must deal with it now or the consequences will be very dire.
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