I'm constantly amazed at the continued dominance and implementation of U.S.-based industrial research and development. One case in point: The current issue of Science magazine shows a chart of the genetically modified crops with the U.S.'s 57.7 million hectares of GM crops exceeding the combined total of the next seven largest countries employing this technology. Indeed, the U.S. has more than half of all the GM crops in the world.
The U.S. agricultural industry is mighty indeed and as genetic researchers work on developing high-energy plants, that area also is likely to benefit, grow, and possibly dominate the biofuel industry. Countries like Brazil-the third largest GM producer-however, could rapidly accelerate their crop development as well, with collaborative support from China. China itself-the sixth largest GM crop producer-however, could possibly suffer from food shortages in the future unless it makes some drastic changes in its agricultural strategies. China's non-agricultural expansion has actually resulted in the reduction of its total arable land over the past 40 years.
A lot of local and global criticism has been targeted at the U.S. lately about the impact that biofuel sources-mainly corn-are having on both reducing the amount of foodstocks available and on helping to raise the cost of those foodstocks due to their diversion to ethanol production. (Analysts actually admit that there are still enough foodstocks to feed the world, but that their current high prices are what concerns everyone.) Continued criticism-and it will continue-is likely to change the source of those food-based biofuel sources to GM non-food-based sources. Corn is an inefficient source anyway. The Bush Administration's recent directive to increase U.S. ethanol production combined with this global criticism are both very strong incentives to rapidly create a GM biofuel alternative to corn, and in the process continue to support the growth of the U.S. biotech industry.
So high gas prices support the growth of GM research which support the growth of ethical biofuel sources which support the growth of a U.S.-based biofuel industry which support the continued dominance of the U.S.-based biotech industry.
