It may at first seem as an opposite to Al Gore’s “An Inconvenient Truth” when in fact The Convenient Lie is, or should be a corollary.  Canadians, Americans, Europeans; in fact people the world over are being lied to on a grand scale at every turn.  The problem is that we have become so accustomed to accepting the spin we no longer challenge it; if we even dare. 

Conventional media has been very effectively muzzled by a number of sources that begin with controlled dissemination of information by Government and Business.  Even if that is recognized by those who are employed in conventional media, they too must meet shareholder’s expectations.  Those expectations are often set by high level management so that popular opinion is the dictating factor.  In other words, information is about profit; not truth.

This isn't to say you can't believe everything, but one has to be diligent in accepting what is being given.  So where do we look?  There are some independent journalists with integrity and honesty  out there, but their voices are often being drowned by independent partisan writers.  Even the independence of these so called writers has to be questioned.  It is unfortunately a side effect of the internet and what has become known as blogging.

This bias is not news to anyone but in this day of instant information, one can too easily find opinions matching their own; opinions that do not challenge one’s own thought.  It is increasingly polarizing our society into Left vs. Right.  It has become so prevalent and the spin of media so strong that even the centrist is being labeled one way or the other depending upon who is talking.  Perhaps that too is a problem, everyone is talking and no one is listening.  It is becoming even more difficult when truth is buried inside lies.

The Biofuel industry is exactly a case in point.

The truth is that Global Warming has firmly rooted itself today, despite a small fringe element that decry this fact.  This partisan and contrary point of view is easily exposed and so it can be easily dismissed.  This has been an uphill battle for environmentalists (another dirty word to those identifying as right of center) but none the less, the evidence is overwhelming.  Even the scientists for hire to promote the opposite point of view no longer hold any credibility.  This too is dangerous since now the scientific community is often viewed with a raised eyebrow.  Government has managed to silence even their own scientific employees and have all communications vetted.  In other words, if what is to be published by government scientists doesn’t meet the political point of view of the government, it doesn’t get published.  This is censorship; nothing more or less.  It also calls the integrity of government into question.

To understand how this affects the Biofuel industry one has to first understand the most basic concept of energy; The Law of Conservation of Energy.  In its most simple terms, it states that energy can not be created or destroyed but only converted from one form to another.  To illustrate this we know that if we flip a switch in our homes, the energy of electricity will provide light.  This will also generate heat.  So the energy of electricity is converted to heat and light.  This heat and light is absorbed by the air and can again be captured and reused.  In other words energy just exists. Now, the energy conversion can be measured.  Conventional incandescent lights are inefficient because of the amount of energy they consume in relation to what they produce.  This is why fluorescent lighting is more desirable.  It uses less energy to produce the same amount of light and energy waste in the form of heat is minimal.  It is our ingenuity of science that converts energy.

Now, to the new lie of Biofuels.  These fuels are produced from harvested plants then processed to a useable product that can release energy for consumption.  The point of deception that government and the Biofuel industry don’t want the public to know is that it is not a reduction in the carbon footprint of conventional fossil fuels.  It is in fact compounding the problem and even creating new ones.

Biofuels are manufactured from crops and other carbon based matter that can be distilled into alcohol based fuels such as Ethanol.  One of the major crops used is corn; due to its higher sugar content and so its effectiveness in the distillation process.  Another major crop used is sugar cane.  On the surface this is a good thing.  Renewable sources of energy is the buzzword.  Not necessarily.

The use of crops for Biofuels removes the acreage to grow them from the food chain.  In other words growing crops for fuel is creating a food shortage.  In order to offset this, some countries such as Brazil and some in Asia have created land for crop growth by clearing forest; rain forest.  The problem with this is that the Rain Forests of the world are crucial to the balance of the ecosystems.  They absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere and convert it to oxygen.  In addition to this, the byproducts of Biofuel manufacture decomposes; releasing more Carbon Dioxide into the atmosphere.  In the normative cycle of life this natural decomposition by forested area is also the fuel for new growth of forest only now there is no re-growth to offset the decomposition.  We have both increased our carbon footprint and reduced the availability of food to the world.

Now to the manufacture of Biofuels.  The conversion of crops to fuel requires energy; lots of it.  Where does that energy come from?  It can be electrical (generated from coal, gas, nuclear) all of which contribute to global warming, or any fossil fuel itself.  Certainly Biofuels can be used however that reduces inventory of this “new” fuel. 

Now, if we go back to our illustration of the light bulb, we know that energy consumption that is equal to or only slightly less than output is efficient use of energy.  The manufacture of Biofuels is a highly inefficient use of energy.

So the big lie is the Biofuel Industry.  The question to be asked is why?  For one, governments have heavily invested in the industry.  The very word of Biofuel has been sold to the public as clean and green.  The truth that is emerging is that it is not.  One has to wonder if this investment isn't a diversionary tactic by government to draw attention away from the fossil fuel industry while at the same time promoting the appearance of doing something for the environment.

To the investor who wants to put their money into “Green” this dissemination of information by government and industry is deceptive.  The financial industry is riding high on “Green” investment.  Going green is everywhere; or so the consumer is led to believe.  Blind acceptance of so called green products is a bet business and industry are capitalizing on and the consumer is again being willingly duped.

Even one of our big banks is now touting that it is going green but they don’t say what their actual results are, or as a percentage of the whole.. How many carbon credits have they purchased?  A 5 million dollar a year commitment to water resources is chump change for an organization that nets over a billion dollars a year in profit.  Are they increasing their purchase of “green” energy? (14 out of hundreds of branches in miniscule)  How have they reduced their consumption of electricity?  Have they actually reduced their consumption of paper?  They don’t say, only that it is a target and electronic statements are becoming more common.  Have they shut off the lights at night in their office tower on Bay Street?   Have they removed half of their lighting during the day?  They don’t say enough; only that they are going “Green” and they have targets.  Sorry but recycling the morning coffee cups from Tim’s doesn’t qualify on any grand scale. (Maybe if they gave all their employees reusable ones…)

Canadians need to be more aware and more skeptical.  If we aren’t, The Convenient Lie will grow until truth and fiction can no longer be separated.

Harold Hotham

harold.hotham@comparevillage.ca

www.comparevillage.ca