the agricultural ethics of biofuels the food vs. fuel debate生物燃料的粮食和农业伦理燃料争论.pdfVIP

Agriculture 2012, 2, 339-358; doi:10.3390/agriculture2040339 OPEN ACCESS agriculture ISSN 2077-0472 /journal/agriculture Article The Agricultural Ethics of Biofuels: The Food vs. Fuel Debate Paul B. Thompson 1,2,3 1 Department of Philosophy, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1032, USA; E-Mail: thomp649@; Tel.: +1-571-432-0316; Fax: +1-517-353-8994 2 Department of Agricultural, Food and Resource Economics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1032, USA 3 Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824-1032, USA Received: 18 September 2012; in revised form: 25 October 2012 / Accepted: 26 October 2012 / Published: 6 November 2012 Abstract: Plant-based transportation fuels were the focus of extended criticism in the press, especially during 2008 when a portion of the blame for a spike in global food prices was associated with growth of the United States’ corn ethanol industry. The critique is based on an unsophisticated portrayal of the ethical issues at stake in the food security implications of biofuel. Three ethical critiques can be leveled at the food vs. fuel debate. First, although market drivers of biofuels indeed skew consumption of agricultural grains, this is not a problem that is unique to biofuels. Second, the critique does not reflect an adequate understanding of the way that r