Bloomberg to air documentary about Brazilian ethanol worker labor conditions
According to the video above, the Bloomberg TV network will air Deadly Brew - The Human Toll of Ethanol, a documentary about the horrible labor conditions of Brazilian ethanol workers on January 24th (next Thursday). The video above includes lines like "the cars run on human blood" and the video ends with a shocking story of a man that died after cutting "45 tonnes" of sugar cane in one day (see related post here).
Many environmentalists and now even the EU have really backed off in their support for ethanol and are taking a very hard look at how it's made. While it can be sustainable, energy positive and include good labor practices, there are horrible cases like the ones Bloomberg will report on that have many questioning if ethanol is worth it. I will post a review of the documentary after it airs.
[Source: YouTube]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Shabar 11:12PM (1/26/2008)
Still better than oil.
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Steve 12:34PM (1/18/2008)
It's one more nail in ethanol's coffin. Problem is, ethanol is corrosive, so it'll eat through the nails and probably the coffin itself.
Sadly, this exercise in frivolous metaphors is only too apt in describing the current state of affairs involving ethanol. Our politicians have either been duped or bought, and this terrible idea, like hydrogen, will continue to waste massive amounts of our money (and energy) for years to come.
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GreyFlcn 12:47PM (1/18/2008)
Sounds familiar
http://www.worldpress.org/print_article.cfm?article_id=2994&dont=yes
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Mort 2:02PM (1/18/2008)
The video above includes lines like "the cars run on human blood" and the video ends with a shocking story of a man that died after cutting "45 tonnes" of sugar cane in one day...
No supporter of ethanol here, but the human blood applies to oil with equal or greater force than it does with ethanol.
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fnc 4:27PM (1/18/2008)
Oh my god, workers were never exploited before ethanol came along.
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russellgeister 7:43PM (1/18/2008)
why use people to cut can machines are faster in the end work out cheaper its the old slave mentality stupid
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Owain Ozymandias Buck 9:46AM (1/21/2008)
Steve,
Why are you against Hydrogen? 3/4 of the mass of the universe is H. You fighting an uphill battle. You should pick a rare lab only type element like Ununtrium--you stand a better chance of a successful crusade. ;)
But seriously, H from biomass might work. If you want to skip the cost of purifying and compressing, carbon neutral hydrocarbons from biomass can be used in some types of fuel cells that might not work for mobile use, but may be great for stationary power generation.
Anyway, H for fuel cells has got to be better than current battery technology if you can get your H with as little C as possible--and not from petroleum. Don't hate the H!
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