Food Scientists Call for Moratorium on Biofuels

Three top international scientists have called for a moratorium on biofuels, especially corn-based ethanol, which they say has driven up prices for food and has contributed to the current global food crisis. An increasing amount of American farmland is being used for corn that will serve ethanol plants, instead of food or feed -- roughly a quarter of our corn supply will be used to provide fuel this year. Meanwhile, President Bush, who spoke yesterday on the importance of energy security and affordable gas prices in a lagging economy, encouraged ethanol use.

Our newly-released Confidence in U.S. Foreign Policy Index illustrates how the public's economic worries are driving their concerns about energy and national security. Seven in 10 say they worry "a lot" about the rise in the cost of energy, a 16-point jump from six months ago, making it the public's top concern. And becoming less dependent on other countries for our supply of energy is now the public’s first choice as a national security strategy, with 6 in 10 saying it would do “a great deal” to make the country more secure.

And while the survey doesn't specifically address the current global food crisis, the public does show increased support across the board for various global development projects aimed at helping the world's needy. Most Americans don't, however, see them as strategies with implications for national security -- they don't rank high on the list of things Americans believe will make them safer.