Four Freedoms for the 21st Century

by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Over the past year we have seen some remarkable developments in the sector, starting right here in Alberta with the completion and opening of the Enerkem advanced biofuels plant in Edmonton. And, in Italy, the completion and opening of the 20 million gallon Beta Renewables cellulosic biorefinery in Crescentino.
Then, the opening of the 20 million gallon POET-DSM refinery in Emmetsburg, Iowa on September 3rd. Just a few weeks ago the 21 million gallon GranBio refinery opened in Alagoas, Brasil. Last Friday the 25 million gallon Abengoa refinery opened in Hugoton, Kansas — now the world’s largest of its type until the 30 million DuPont refinery opens in Nevada, Iowa around the end of the year.
About the same time, we expect the 22 million gallon Raizen refinery to open in Piricicaba, in Brazil’s Sao Paulo state, based on Canada’s own Iogen cellulosic technology. Which of course reminds us that the story of cellulosic biofuels in so many ways comes right back here to Canada and the opening of a pilot-scale project by Iogen in 2004.
Some celebrate failure, and some wish it. Some focus on the tragic pad fire that killed the three astronauts of Apollo 1, while others focus on the moon landing of Apollo 11. Each person must decide for themselves if they are against the future, because of the costs and ricks and failures — or for the future, despite the costs and risks and failures.
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We live in a dangerous world, getting more dangerous all the time, becoming more interdependent and connected all the time.
Right now, I’m told that the US is spending $90 billion dollars per year to defend the Strait of Hormuz and keep the oil lanes open. You might have heard of that figure. But what you might not have heard is that virtually none of that oil goes to the United States. 85% of it goes to Asia.
So why is the US there? They are defending the price of oil and global stability. You can imagine what would happen to the global economy and stability if those supplies did not reach Asia.
Recently, the Director of the Truman National Security Project, Mike Breen, in talking about the defense if the Strait, said that “If there’s a better example of the massive geopolitical consequences of our dependence on oil, I don’t know it. $90 billion and all those personnel at risk, to assure the supply of someone else’s oil, and to maintain the oil price.”
Mike Breen also asked people to consider where the money comes from for groups like Islamic State which he described as “the darkest army on the face of the earth — using assassination, rape, torture and beheadings of innocent civilians in pursuit of its objectives.” He said that ISIS controls 10 oil fields in Syria and Iraq and they pump 80000 barrels a day of oil which they sell into the global market for oil, generating $200 million a month for themselves which they use to buy arms, fighters, and loyalty.
He said that “We are shackled to a global market and shackled to a global crisis, funded by oil and fueled by oil. There is no escape from energy politics unless you free yourself from the geopolitical equation based on global oil.”
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What is needed is sustainable energy for all, where no country is condemned to being a pawn on the chessboard of global supply.
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Let us commit ourselves to Four Freedoms for the 21st century.
Freedom from fear - the fear of climate shift, fear of the forces of monopoly, fears over security in a dangerous world financed by petrodollars, the fear of volatile energy prices and the impact on our economies.
Freedom from waste – municipal, agricultural, forest, and industrial.
Freedom of choice – clean alternatives in fuels, plastics, solvents, thinners, lacquers, foods, feed, clothing, latex, nylons, nutrients – products for the home and family, and products to affordably and cleanly power the economy around us.
Freedom of opportunity – for technologies, our agricultural assets, and our scientific talent.
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Were the energy playing field to be leveled — were every cost to be fairly accounted for, and every financial advantage available to petroleum available to clean alternatives — I have no doubt that clean alternatives would win the day.
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But so long as companies evaluate new technologies based solely on short-term internal rates of return, rather than seeing them as necessary to a Company’s ongoing freedom to operate, they will never do as much as they can or should.
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They see that they have done well in the old economy, but will do better in the new. To seek better, to do better, to build better, and to buy better. That is the promise of the future and it is high time to strive for it. We will all do better in the new world that is coming to redress the deficiencies of the old. READ MORE