We in Australia talk about “cutting down on carbon”.

“Reducing our footprint”.

“Eliminating fossil fuels”.

But what are we doing?

Apart from planning taxes on all our serious sources of energy production . . . ?

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Meanwhile in the USA Mr Obama announced two months ago that his country will be setting up four new biofuel/ethanol refineries within two years.         

With a view to cutting oil imports by a third by 2025 . . . .

Brazil, the world’s second largest producer of ethanol fuel, already has a sustainable biofuels economy.

Using locally-grown sugar cane, Brazil is producing 30 percent of the world’s total ethanol used as fuel.

In recent months Brazil is having a problem with rising fuel prices — sugar production being unable to keep up with increasing demand.

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Northern Australia is one of the world’s few areas with the available land and suitable climate for a new major biofuels industry.

As things now stand, Australia’s sugar industry — thanks to past crazy deregulation policies — is barely surviving.

Land area devoted to sugar-growing is down 25 percent. Five of our sugar mills have closed. Our exports are uncompetitive.

Step one in reversing this decline would be to mandate a percentage of ethanol in fuel. Starting at 10 percent.

Followed by flex-fuel (from 10-100 percent ethanol) “variable mix” hoses at all service stations. 

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When it comes to ethanol, Australians seem to get everything wrong.

The ethanol in motor fuels is the same substance that makes intoxicating drinks intoxicating. Yet we put it in our stomachs and brains, not in our fuel tanks.

We use ethanol to harm our health – whereas, properly used, it would enhance our health.             

European studies show that about half the mortality caused by air pollution is attributed to motor traffic.

Ethanol in fuel can lower air pollution by 65 percent, reducing lung disease.