Word comes that the Bush administration is negotiating a bio-ethanol alliance with Brazil, the world’s leader in renewable energy. Many people in fact think that countries like Germany or Japan are the world leaders, yet the fact is that while they may lead in solar power, the country of Brazil has for a long time moved its economy towards energy independance through the creation of a complete infrastructure delivering bio-ethanol across every city and highway in Brazil.
In reading article linked above, it struck me how the USA has a 0.54per gallon import tariff against Brazil’s ethanol, in order to protect the American farmers now growing the seed of ethanol (corn) while also protecting the high price of regular oil-based fuels.
Just one question hit me…what happened to the word “free trade”? Is it only relevant when the developed country is dominant or desirous of cheap commodity supply which is could not otherwise produce?
Sass