From left: Ambassador Bagher Asadi, chairman of the United Nations Frame Convention on Climate Change's (UNFCCC) Subsidiary Body for Implementation; Dean Peart, Minister of Local Goverment and Environment; Roberto Acosta of the UNFCCC Secretariat and Kishan Kumarsingh, share a joke on the opening day of a three-day meeting on climate change in Kingston earlier this month. - Rudolph Brown/Chief Photographer

The Editor, Sir:

The recently released report from the Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) paints a bleak picture of the future as it relates to weather and climate variability/change following analysis of increasing temperatures and the melting of the polar ice caps, among others. One strategy to positively impact on global climate is to reduce emissions into the atmosphere. One set of emissions being targeted is that from motor vehicles through the development of alternative fuel from food crops such as corn and sugar cane. While this may seem noble, the implications globally and especially for developing countries such as Jamaica, may be greater than the impacts of allowing the emissions or developing catalytic or other systems to better clean the fuel and improve motor vehicle emissions.

The possible implications are:

The preparation of ethanol from corn will lead to an increased demand for corn and a significant increase in price. It is projected that the price of corn will rise to as high as US$10 per bushel in the not-too-long term, up from the present US$2 or less per bushel.

This price increase will have implications for the provision of basic nutrition to the poor of any society. Note the impact of recent increases in the price of corn in Mexico, where it took a presidential decree to halt the price increase so that the poor could have their tortilla - a basic food for poor Mexicans.

The impact on the local poultry industry would be devastating and one of the cheapest sources of protein to the Jamaican consumer would be beyond the reach of most citizens.

The high demand for corn for ethanol and the price offered would make corn unavailable for use as food to meet the global needs. Even if it were to be available, the cost would make it unaffordable.

The increased area required to bring the production of sugar cane and corn to the level where the volume of ethanol needed to reduce the emissions can be produced, will increase the demand for water for irrigation. This could place our water resources at risk of over-exploitation with resultant pollution from saline intrusion and leaching of fertilisers/pesticides used to increase crop yield.

Inefficient irrigation to grow sugar cane to produce ethanol for export will mean that Jamaica will be indirectly exporting its water resources (virtual water). This has implications for Jamaica in maintaining health and sanitation as well as the World Trade Organisation rules re trade in water.

The implications for global and local food security could be significant.

Locally, the area of land and volume of water resources which would have to be devoted to produce sugar cane production may preclude any other crop type. We would have to depend on the importation of food, if available, at high prices. The economic and health (nutrition) implications could be far-reaching.

While we must consider the reduction of greenhouse gases a priority, we should also consider the implications from the strategies proposed. It is possible that far cheaper alternate solutions can be implemented with fewer implications to the economy, health and water resources of countries such as Jamaica.

I am, etc.,

BASIL FERNANDEZ

Managing director

Water Resources Authority