Food Riots Spread in Haiti, and Across the World, Fueled by Ethanol Mandates

Food rioting has spread in Haiti, endangering the government of its “U.S.-backed president.”  “A desperate appeal from the president Wednesday failed to restore order to Haiti’s shattered capital, and bands of looters sacked stores, warehouses and government offices.”  The government responded with tear gas and bullets, as this video shows.

Food riots are occurring across the world as the world’s breadbaskets shift from producing food to producing ethanol, making food scarcer and more expensive.  Ethanol subsidies and mandates encourage this, even though ethanol production causes an enormous amount of environmental damage, deforestation, and soil erosion, does not reduce net greenhouse gas emissions, and causes inflation. 

CEI predicted last year that ethanol subsidies would cause worldwide food shortages and unrest.   Food riots are now occurring in Mexico, Pakistan, Indonesia, Yemen, Haiti, Egypt, Ivory Coast, and El Salvador.