James A. Leach: “I would only like to make one philosophical contribution to this debate, and that is that Dr. Borlaug has been awarded…”

“I would only like to make one philosophical contribution to this debate, and that is that Dr. Borlaug has been awarded the Nobel Prize for the green revolution, the notion of pure science being used to expand the production of food crops of various kinds to make it possible for people in the world to have nourishment. But it is the same science that goes into expanding biological crops that allows crops to be used for energy, and so the same science that has produced the green revolution is also producing a black evolution, the idea that food can also be used for petroleum substitutes. We are today facing a challenge of judgment as well as a challenge of new biology, which Dr. Borlaug is also continuing to work in, that there may not be enough crops that go around for both food and fuel. But, fortunately, it is not exactly an either/or; that is, the same kernels of corn can be used for extracting ethanol as well as producing a food additive for cattle. But we are going to have to continue to develop new techniques to increase yields.”