Talk About Your Unintended Consequences

This is, I think, my favorite story of unintended consequences of the coming energy crunch: Ethanol boom may fuel shortage of tequila:

Mexican farmers are setting ablaze fields of blue agave, the cactus-like plant used to make the fiery spirit tequila, and resowing the land with corn as soaring U.S. ethanol demand pushes up prices.

The switch to corn will contribute to an expected scarcity of agave in coming years, with officials predicting that farmers will plant between 25 percent and 35 percent less agave this year to turn the land over to corn.

"Those growers are going after what pays best now," said Ismael Vicente Ramirez, head of agriculture at Mexico's Tequila Regulatory Council.

Yes, you may save a little in the gas tank, but you'll feel it in your margaritas!

This is nothing but upside for me, incidentally, since I don't drink at all. But I understand that the rest of you might feel the pinch. But as your designated driver, I appreciate the sacrifice.

Tags: Ethanol, Tequila, Unintended Consequences

Written by johnmscalzi Blog about this entry

This entry has 4 comments: (Add your own)

#4 Comment from plittle
5/30/07 8:09 PM | Permalink

This is just the beginning. More and more arable land will be sown with corn as demand for ethanol grows, until the vegetable becomes too expensive to serve at dinner. The SUV will disappear as a symbol of American status and be replaced by fancy corn roasting barbeques. The upscale snobs will stop having pool parties, and start having corn roasts instead. The average joe will decide to splurge once a year and visit a fancy restaurant, where corn on the cob will be priced higher than Porterhouse steak. Next it will be wheat farmers converting to corn en masse, leading to worldwide shortages in bread...and...gasp...beer. Soon, every piece of arable land in the Americas will be sown with corn, and the population will eat nothing but artificial food supplements brewed in huge vats in underground factories. The supplements will be colour coded to represent different types of nutritional value.

My advice: don't eat the green.

-Paul
http://journals.aol.ca/plittle/AuroraWalkingVacation/
#3 Comment from dpoem
5/30/07 4:03 PM | Permalink

Nooooooooooo!!

*gasp*

Noooooooooo!

This is enough to make me want to jump in with the anti-global warming nuts.

-Dan
http://journals.aol.com/dpoem/TheWisdomofaDistractedMind/
#2 Comment from tpiez4me
5/30/07 3:45 PM | Permalink

Ditto AJ for me!!
#1 Comment from ajandersonnotary
5/30/07 3:12 PM | Permalink

Bummer, dude. I could use a shot right now. Can't stop coughing, and the Robetussin ain't worth snot.

AJ in SF

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Talk About Your Unintended Consequences