You guys always ask whether Disney does anything I like, Well...

[DisOrBust]

uld possibly even carry DIY angioplasty kits and "My Pal Micky, now with defibrillator and bonus paramedic outfit!"

Great then you can take it with you to your cardiac stress test at EPCOT, Mission Space.

 

[MJMcBride]

Now thats the YOHO we have all learned to know and enjoy

enjoy?

 

[YoHo]

HEY, I'm nothing but Butterscotch and Ponies.

Right thinking people everywhere realize I'm a ratings winnar!!!!1111 w00t
:

 

[Lord Fantasius]

Hate to be cynical, but do you think Disney, Inc., really went BIO because they thought it was the "right" thing to do (which can be debated, of course), or because it was a good PR stunt?

Just asking...

-R

 

[Lord Fantasius]

And this just in...

U.N. raises doubts on biofuels By NICOLE WINFIELD, Associated Press Writer
Tue May 8, 3:10 PM ET



Biofuels like ethanol can help reduce global warming and create jobs for the rural poor, but the benefits may be offset by serious environmental problems and increased food prices for the hungry, the United Nations concluded Tuesday in its first major report on bioenergy.

In an agency-wide assessment, the United Nations raised alarms about the potential negative impact of biofuels, just days after a climate conference in Bangkok said the world had both the money and technology to prevent the sharp rise in global temperatures blamed in part on greenhouse gas emissions.

Biofuels, which are made from corn, palm oil, sugar cane and other agricultural products, have been seen by many as a cleaner and cheaper way to meet the world's soaring energy needs than with greenhouse-gas emitting fossil fuels.

European leaders have decided that at least 10 percent of fuels will come from biofuels like ethanol by 2020, and the U.S. Congress is working on a proposal that would increase production of biofuels sevenfold by 2022. With oil prices at record highs, biofuels have become an attractive alternative energy source for poor countries, some of which spend six times as much money importing oil than on health care.

But environmentalists have warned that the biofuel craze can do as much or more damage to the environment as dirty fossil fuels — a concern reflected throughout the report, which was being released Tuesday in New York, by U.N.-Energy, a consortium of 20 U.N. agencies and programs.

While saying bioenergy represents an "extraordinary opportunity" to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, it warned that "rapid growth in liquid biofuel production will make substantial demands on the world's land and water resources at a time when demand for both food and forest products is also rising rapidly."

Changes in the carbon content of soils and carbon stocks in forests and peat lands might offset some or all of the benefits of the greenhouse gas reductions, it said.

"Use of large-scale monocropping could lead to significant biodiversity loss, soil erosion and nutrient leaching," it said, adding that investments in bioenergy must be managed carefully, at national, regional and local levels to avoid new environmental and social problems "some of which could have irreversible consequences."

It noted that soaring palm oil demand has already led to the clearing of tropical forests in southeast Asia.

In addition, the diversion of food crops for fuel will increase food prices, putting a strain on the poor, as evidenced by the recent steep rise in maize and sugar prices, the report said.

"Liquid biofuel production could threaten the availability of adequate food supplies by diverting land and other productive resources away from food crops," it said, adding that many of those biofuel crops require the best land, lots of water and environment-damaging chemical fertilizers.

While bioenergy crops can create jobs in impoverished rural areas where the bulk of the world's poor and hungry live, creating biofuels favors large-scale production, meaning small-scale farmers could be pushed off their land by industrial agriculture.

It suggested that farm co-ops, as well as government subsidies, could help small-scale farmers compete.

Such concerns have been raised by Greenpeace International and other environmental groups worried that the biofuel fad is being driven by big agricultural interests looking for new markets.

"More and more, people are realizing that there are serious environmental and serious food security issues involved in biofuels," Greenpeace biofuels expert Jan van Aken said. "There is more to the environment than climate change," he said. "Climate change is the most pressing issue, but you cannot fight climate change by large deforestation in Indonesia."

Individual U.N. agencies have previously issued small-scale reports on biofuels, but they were largely optimistic and did not highlight negative consequences because they were not yet known, said Gustavo Best, vice chair of U.N.-Energy and a biofuels expert at the Rome-based U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization.

But with the surge in interest by the private sector, the rise in commodity prices and an awareness of the strain on water supplies that has resulted from biofuel production, "we now have to raise the red flags and say 'be careful, don't go too fast,'" he said in an interview.

"There are winners and losers," he said.

That the report exists is something of a miracle, since there has long been opposition among U.N. member states — including OPEC, nuclear and other energy lobbies_ to have any kind of international dialogue on energy. There is for example, no U.N. Millennium Goal for energy, and recent U.N. working documents on sustainable development continue to be very fossil-fuel oriented, Best said.

The document is intended for governments to help them craft bioenergy policies that maximize the potential but minimize the negative impacts — even as the technology continues to change.

"We can't cross our arms and wait to have better data or better methodologies," Best said. "We need to contribute to the discussion, but in a balanced way."



Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. The information contained in the AP News report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press.

 

[YoHo]

We pay farmers to throw their crops away. I'm skeptical that biofuels, at least in the US, will have a negative affect. And of course, BioDiesel can be made from recycled cooking Oil.

As for Disney's intentions. If it were 1977 instead of 2007, I'd think their goals were altruistic. And even now, I'm sure that the left leaning sensibilities of Hollywood are encouraging this, but no, I don't think it's much more then a low impact PR stunt.



Still, better is better.

 

[TheDogbots]

I would agree, low scale PR stunt, but better none the less...


However, I would also agree with the other statement about biofuel that it may be more problems down the road with greater deforestation and what not. there needs to be a long term solution, not something that takes too much mass production that it strips another resource... I don't know what this is, but I am sure if we shifted some money towards the goal it could become a reality.

Also... the best thing about the US and biofuel is that we openly negotiate against brazil exporting its sugar for such purposes. you know why? because sugar makes more efficient biofuel, but the USA has too many corn producers that need money. Hence we make our biofuels from less efficient corn.

 

[YoHo]

That all may be true, but we're talking about Historical transportation modes. Disney really isn't obligated to make a steam engine, not a steam engine.

 

[Lord Fantasius]

That all may be true, but we're talking about Historical transportation modes. Disney really isn't obligated to make a steam engine, not a steam engine.

Which brings up the riddle, "When is a steam engine not a steam engine..."

 

[KYMickey]

Everyone is focusing on reducing our dependence on oil as a source of energy and saying to switch to Biofuels. There are two major problems with this idea.

1. If we use significant amounts of corn (or other plant material) the cost is going to rise significantly. The cost of corn has almost doubled in the past year. Not only does is raise the cost of the fuels produced from it but also raises the price of many Food Products since corn is part of many foods (think corn syrup) as well as being the major food for much of the livestock that do we eat.

2. The U.S. Does not have sufficient available farmland to produced enough corn to produce even close to the amount of fuels that are required to replace oil.

Research for Biofuels should be focused on alternatives other than corn since only a small portion of a corn plant is used to produce the fuel. Other plants can be used in their entirety to produce fuels thus Yielding a much larger amount of fuel per acre. Brazil uses Sugar Cane to produce their Biofuels for an example.

The real solution to our energy problems is electricity based on Nueclear Power which can be used directly or indirectly to Hydrogen that could be used in Fuel Cells. This is both a safe and replenishable alternative to our long-term energy needs.

 

[YoHo]

Global energy production. Everyone's got an opinion.

I still don't by the low farmland excuses. The US pays farms to not farm, or to throw crop away. How can they do that and say we don't have enough farmland? I call foul.

And you fail to mention switchgrass.

This country eats essentially nothing but corn, but then, we shouldn't be eating that much corn, so maybe the price increase isn't all bad.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . In Connection with Disney's Environmentality program, the Disneyland railroad as of it's early april rehab now runs on a BioDiesel mix . . .

1) As the President & CEO of a Bio-Diesel Refinery, I applaud the action.
2) However, this was not done as part of environmentalism.
3) It was done done due to California's demand to reduce CO2 emissions.
4) 100% Bio-Diesel burns with 78% less CO2 than petroleum #2 Diesel Fuel.
5) Plus, a rehab is not needed to run Bio-Diesel fuel.
6) Older engines need some hoses replaced, but NOTHING else is needed.
7) From what I hear, Disney is not using 100% Bio-Diesel, but a petroleum blend.

NOTE: The Bio-Diesel councils have tried for years to get high-profile companies, like Disney, to use Bio-Diesel. However, until California's new rules, they continually refused.

 

[TheRustyScupper]

. . . BioDiesel smells like the fry oil used to cook french fries . . .

1) A little misunderstood.
2) Yes, you can filter cooking oil, but it makes poor Bio-Diesel.
3) Bio-Diesel is best made from soybean, rapeseed (canola) or palm oil.
4) It DOES NOT smell like food or french fries when burning as fuel.
5) Bio-Diesel is also VERY environmentally friendly.
6) If you spill 10,000 gallons of Bio-Diesel, all you do is feed the worms.
. . . 100% bio-degradable, degrades faster than table sugar
. . . 100% non-toxic
. . . zero % polluting, on land or even in pristine waterways


NOTE: We make Bio-Diesel from soybean oil. One gallon of soybean oil makes one gallon of diesel fuel. We make 3.2 units of energy for every 1.0 unit of energy it takes to make Bio-Diesel. This is the MOST economical of ANY fuel conversion in existence.

 

[EUROPACL]

1)
NOTE: We make Bio-Diesel from soybean oil. One gallon of soybean oil makes one gallon of diesel fuel. We make 3.2 units of energy for every 1.0 unit of energy it takes to make Bio-Diesel. This is the MOST economical of ANY fuel conversion in existence.

So E=MC^2 and the laws of thermodynamics have been disproved by your company. Congrats.

 

[Planogirl]

Hmmm, would cars all smell like french fries? I can see the ads on VW's; this car brought to by the happy short order fry cooks of McDonald's. Or better yet, Eat More French Fries and save the planet!

Seriously, interesting stuff.