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GRANMA<br>
March 28, 2007<br><br>
OFFICIAL TRANSLATION<br><br>
Reflections from the Commander-in-Chief <br><br>
MORE THAN THREE BILLION PEOPLE IN THE WORLD ARE BEING<br>
CONDEMEND TO A PREMATURE DEATH FROM HUNGER AND THIRST.<br><br>
It is not an exaggeration; this is rather a conservative<br>
figure. I have meditated for quite a long time on that<br>
after the meeting held by President Bush with the US<br>
automakers.<br><br>
The sinister idea of turning foodstuffs into fuel was <br>
definitely established as the economic strategy of the US<br>
foreign policy on Monday, March 26th last.<br><br>
A wire service issued by the AP, a US information agency<br>
with world-wide coverage, literally reads:<br><br>
WASHINGTON (AP), March 26 - President Bush touted the<br>
benefits of "flexible fuel" vehicles running on
ethanol<br>
and biodiesel on Monday, meeting with automakers to boost<br>
support for his energy plans. Bush said a commitment by<br>
the leaders of the domestic auto industry to double their<br>
production of flex-fuel vehicles could help motorists<br>
shift away from gasoline and reduce the nation's reliance<br>
on imported oil.<br><br>
"That's a major technological breakthrough for the <br>
country," Bush said after inspecting three alternative<br>
vehicles. If the nation wants to reduce gasoline use, he<br>
said "the consumer has got to be in a position to make a<br>
rational choice."<br><br>
The president urged Congress to "move expeditiously"
on<br>
legislation the administration recently proposed to <br>
require the use of 35 billion gallons of alternative fuels<br>
by 2017 and seek higher fuel economy standards for<br>
automobiles.<br><br>
Bush met with General Motors Corp. chairman and chief<br>
executive Rick Wagoner, Ford Motor Co. chief executive<br>
Alan Mulally and DaimlerChrysler AG's Chrysler Group chief<br>
executive Tom LaSorda. They discussed support for<br>
flex-fuel vehicles, attempts to develop ethanol from<br>
alternative sources like switchgrass and wood chips and<br>
the administration's proposal to reduce gas consumption by<br>
20 percent in 10 years.<br><br>
The discussions came amid rising gasoline prices. The<br>
latest Lundberg Survey found the nationwide average for<br>
gasoline has risen 6 cents per gallon in the past two<br>
weeks to $2.61. I think that reducing and recycling all<br>
fuel and electricity operated engines is an urgent and<br>
elemental necessity of all humanity. The dilemma is not in<br>
the reduction of energy costs, but in the idea of turning<br>
foodstuffs into fuel.<br><br>
Today we know with accurate precision that one ton of corn<br>
can only render as an average 413 liters of ethanol (109<br>
gallons), a figure that may vary according to the<br>
latter's density. The average price of corn in US ports<br>
has reached 167 dollars per ton. The production of 35 <br>
billion gallons of ethanol requires 320 million tons of<br>
corn. According to FAO, US corn production in 2005<br>
reached 280.2 million tons.<br><br>
Even if the President is speaking about producing fuel<br>
out of switchgrass or wood chips, any person could<br>
understand that these phrases are far from realistic. <br>
Listen well: 35 billion gallons, 35 followed by nine<br>
zeros!<br><br>
Beautiful examples of the productivity of men per hectare<br>
achieved by the experienced and well organized US farmers<br>
will come next: corn will be turned into ethanol; corn<br>
wastes will be turned into animal fodder, with a 26<br>
percent of proteins; cattle manure will be used as raw<br>
material for the production of gas. Of course, all of<br>
this will happen after a great number of investments, <br>
which could only be afforded by the most powerful<br>
companies whose operations are based on the consumption<br>
of electricity and fuel. Let this formula be applied to<br>
the Third World countries, and the world will see how many<br>
hungry people on this planet will cease to consume corn.<br>
What is worse, let the poor countries receive some<br>
financing to produce ethanol from corn or any other<br>
foodstuff and very soon not a single tree will be left<br>
standing to protect humanity from climate change.<br><br>
Other rich countries have planned to use not only corn<br>
but also wheat, sunflower seeds, rapeseed and other<br>
foodstuffs to produce fuel. For Europeans, for example, it<br>
would be a good business to import the entire soybean<br>
production of the world to reduce the cost of fuel for<br>
their automobiles and feed their animals with the wastes<br>
of that legume, which has a high content of all kinds of <br>
essential amino acids.<br><br>
In Cuba, alcohol was produced as a sugar cane by-product,<br>
after three extractions of sugarcane juice. Climate change<br>
is already affecting our sugar production. Severe<br>
droughts alternate with record rainfall values, which<br>
hardly allow our country to produce any sugar during a<br>
period of 100 days with adequate yields during our very<br>
mild winter. So, in Cuba, we are either producing less<br>
sugar per every ton of sugarcane, or the number of tons<br>
of cane per hectare has been reduced due to the long <br>
lasting droughts in the plantation and harvest seasons.<br><br>
I understand that Venezuela would not export alcohol; it<br>
will use it to improve the environmental safety of its<br>
own fuel. Therefore, despite the excellent technology<br>
designed by Brazil to produce alcohol, its use in Cuba to<br>
produce alcohol from sugarcane juice is nothing but a<br>
dream, the ravings of those who entertain such ideas. In<br>
our country, the land which would otherwise be devoted<br>
solely to the production of alcohol could be better used<br>
to produce foodstuffs for the people and protect the<br>
environment.<br><br>
All countries of the world without exception, whether<br>
rich or poor, could save trillions of dollars in<br>
investments and fuel if they only replace all incandescent<br>
bulbs with fluorescent bulbs, which is what Cuba has done<br>
in all the residential areas of the country. This would<br>
be a palliative that will enable us to cope with climate<br>
change without killing the poor people in this planet with<br>
hunger.<br><br>
As can be seen, I am not using adjectives to describe<br>
either the system or those who have become the owners of<br>
this world. That task will be brilliantly accomplished by<br>
the information experts, the many honest socio-economic<br>
and political scientists in this world who continuously<br>
delve into the present and the future of our species. A<br>
computer and the increasing number of Internet networks<br>
will just be enough to do that.<br><br>
For the first time a truly globalized economy exists and<br>
a dominant power in the economic, political, and military<br>
spheres that is in no way similar to the ancient Rome<br>
ruled by emperors. Some people may wonder why I am<br>
speaking about hunger and thirst. And I will answer: this<br>
is not about the other side of a coin, but of the many <br>
different sides of quite another object, maybe a six-sided<br>
dice or a polyhedron which has many more sides.<br><br>
This time I will quote an official news agency, founded<br>
in 1945, which is in general very familiar with the<br>
economic and social problems of the world: TELAM. It<br>
literally said:<br><br>
"Within hardly 18 years, nearly 2 billion people will <br>
inhabit countries and regions where water might seem a far<br>
away memory. Two thirds of the world population could<br>
live in places where the lack of water could bring about<br>
social and economic tensions that could lead peoples to go<br>
to war over the precious "blue gold".<br><br>
In the course of the last 100 years, water consumption<br>
has grown at a pace which is more than twice the<br>
population growth rate.<br><br>
"According to the World Water Council (WWC), the number<br>
of persons affected by this serious situation will <br>
increase to 3.5 billion by the year 2015.<br><br>
On March 23, the United Nations Organization observed the<br>
World Water Day, urging all member countries to cope with<br>
the international water shortage as of that day, under <br>
the auspices of FAO, with the aim of emphasizing the<br>
increasing importance of water shortage in the world and<br>
the need for greater integration and cooperation to<br>
ensure a sustainable and efficient management of water <br>
resources.<br><br>
"Many regions in this planet suffer from severe water <br>
shortage, where the annual rate of cubic meters per person<br>
is less than 500. Every time there are more and more<br>
regions suffering from a chronic shortage of this vital<br>
resource.<br><br>
"An insufficient amount of the precious fluid necessary<br>
to produce foodstuffs, the impaired development of<br>
industry, urban areas and tourism, and the emergence of<br>
health problems are some of the consequences that derive<br>
from water shortage." So much for the TELAM wire
service.<br><br>
I have not mentioned other important facts, such as the<br>
ice that is melting down in Greenland and the Antartic,<br>
the damages caused to the ozone layer and the ever higher<br>
titers of mercury found in many fish species which are<br>
part of the regular people's diet.<br><br>
Other topics could be addressed, but in these few lines I <br>
simply intend to make some comments about the meeting held<br>
by President Bush with the chief executives of US<br>
automakers.<br><br>
March 28, 2007.<br><br>
Fidel Castro<br>
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