Hello Ludwig.

I posted that.... seconds after your contribution, it seems. I take it all back in your case.... Cheers.

Ludwig, George Monbiot uses selective reasoning for his article, he is also quoting crops grown in Europe. Look at what Brazil's done with ethanol and biodiesel, to see how viable it really is. Seed oil also provides better by-products compared to petro oil, another bonus.

Biofuels will not solve our problems, but they certainly will for those that have the foresight to adapt now and not wait. Sadly for those enslaved within cities, it will be certain calamity as their shops shut, transport systems collapse. Monbiot also uses wheat as his guide, which is not that good for biofuels, bracken, mustard, are great providers of biodiesel and far outweigh food crops. Plus most oil crops can be grown on inferior land so removing the need to use food crops.

The biggest problem we face is the negativity of the populance and their desire to be looked after instead of looking after themselves. That is followed by the vested interests of those wishing to retain total control over energy supplies. You could grow enough fuel in the average house block to run your car for the year, with proper crop rotation. We run our home and business on biodiesel and alternative energy, it isn't hard and the benefits are enormous and long lasting as well as cheap.

We are in the final stages of this society and those in control still believe that big is best, but if the people took their energy futures into their own hands, then it wouldn't be long before they realised that little is best for them.

Dear Alchemist, I agree.

Just one thing;

While Brazil may be leading the way with biofuels, there is a big downside – soya is the largest single cause of rainforest destruction in the Amazon, and as the demand for fuel oil increases, this is likely to escalate. Similarly with palm oil in southeast Asia

Very true ludwig, sadly this planet can't support the current human population in its present form which means changes must occurr. History shows us that this occurrs regularily and I beleive that it will happen again within the next 5 years. The Amazon destruction has reached the point where it can't recover so massive climate changes will over run us.

If we are lucky enough to see 2010, then society may only consist of those that prepared energy and food wise. I doubt that we can stop the rot nor the religious war that is being thrust upon us once again.

I have no answers to these situations, but beleive that not preparing in some way is basic stupidity, but humans being sheep, will just go down the drain waiting for theri illusons to ovecome reality.

So tell me, Ludwig, if we are all to scale back our activities, which items of government expenditure would you cut the most? It seems all the people talking sacrifice are on some form of welfare, either the dole or the public service. And they all seem to assume that it will be someone else making the sacrifices while they get to swan about in a diminished economy on full pay. Chances are, you would be the first to go. You also seem awfully sensitive about extremism. Could that be because the wider voting public have too much common sense to have any truck with your views?

Another twisted post Perseus. I have read and re-read it twenty times. Stuffed if I know what you are on about.

You repeatedly failed to answer my straight questions put to you on another thread on this forum, so you can hardly expect me to answer yours. But I would address them directly anyway, if they made sense. In fact, I really want to, but they just don’t compute!

Scale back what activities? Where does this come from? Your whole post is based on this, which… comes out of the ether!

You write; “It seems all the people talking sacrifice are on some form of welfare, either the dole or the public service.” That’s too whacky for me. Do you drink heavily Perseus?

Make sense, and I will entertain your lines of debate. Let me help you. Do you think that my above-expressed views on the impending effects of rising oil prices are unfounded?