A study at York University – Toronto, finds Organic farms more energy efficient.

Now this blog has no track record commenting on Canadian farming but when Mischa Popoff sent me this reference, the bells it rang for me is that for decades I have heard what I think are unjustified claims about organic produce here in Australia.

Now if consumers enjoy paying high prices for pest affected inferior produce while believing it carries some Green benefits by being “organic” – I suppose that is their business.

Anyway – read on for Misha’s comments.

Okay… now I’ve heard everything.

A new study co-authored by a member of the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University claims organic farms can be more energy efficient than conventional operations. That’s like saying “Hey! I can be a faster runner than Usain Bolt!”

In case you don’t know, Usain is the fastest man in the world (he’s also referred to as Lightning Bolt). So, how the heck can I claim to run faster than him? Well, you see, the key words in my dubious claim are “can be.” I mean, sure, if Usain is fast asleep I can be way faster than he is. It all depends on the circumstances. And, until Usain and I have a race, well… my statement stands! So there.

This study is a total sham. Really. I mean, how much of my taxes were wasted on this? But, alas this is what happens when people who’ve never worked a day on a farm and who work at a university located in the downtown core of a large city decide to attack modern farming in a fight against the phantom menace of climate change.

As I show in my book, organic farming is less efficient than conventional farming. In most cases, far less so. But that’s perfectly fine! There’s nothing wrong with burning fossil fuels, especially on a farm! And since when is organic farming supposed to fall into line with every single “green” desire environmentalists have?

We’re supposed to produce food that’s purer and more nutritious in the organic sector. We rely on time-proven methods that have sustained humankind for thousands of years; so who cares if we burn a bit more diesel? Every organic farmer I know will tell you straight up that he burns more fuel for every bushel he produces compared to his conventional neighbors. And you know what? It doesn’t bother him in the least. What bothers organic farmers, young and old, is when they’re used as pawns to fight someone else’s environmental battle, in this case, the crazy battle against climate change.

Attention, anyone working in the environmental department of a university! North-American farmers don’t care about climate change! Never did, never will.

In case you haven’t heard about this study, click here. And if you have, and thought perhaps it might be true, ask yourself why Al Gore never mentions organic farming. It’s because he knows organic farming requires more fossil fuel than conventional farming, and it releases more CO2. Too bad the authors of this study don’t know what Gore knows.

If you haven’t heard about my book that debunks this type of malarkey while promoting true, honest, domestic organic farming, please go to my website. For my specific comments on the issue of organics and CO2, just click here.

Mischa Popoff, B.A. (Hons.), IOIA Organic Inspector
Author of Is it Organic? The inside story of the organic industry
Some people hate this book, but if you’ve ever worked on a farm, you’ll love it
Osoyoos BC Canada
www.isitorganic.ca

Dear Government Member of Parliament,

Let us look quickly at your Government plans to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

From the above link – I have assumed your Government is aiming to reduce its emissions by between 5 and 15 per cent below 2000 levels by 2020. I have chosen the mid-range 10% reduction for the graphic below.

Let us further assume that Australian voters come to agree with your GreenLabor Government Carbon Tax plan – that the huge national sacrifice is worth the pain – to reduce our emissions by the ~80 million tonnes from current levels which gets us down to 10% below 2000 levels by 2020.

All those jobs exported to Asia – all those mortgage foreclosures – all those chilly winters as we try to reduce our rocketing electricity bills – all those rocketing grocery bills – fuel prices heading skywards – all will be worth it to do our bit to save the planet.

What will our decade long sacrifice mean in global terms if the above fairy story came to pass.

The figures show that China alone – not adding in the rest of the world – just China – will wipe out our tens years of painful ~80 million tonnes of carbon dioxide reductions in just 48 days of their emissions increase from 2008-2009.

48 days respite – that is what our decade of financial sacrifice will buy just from Chinese emission increases.

Luckily my little scenario was a fairy story – because Australian voters will not return your GreenLabor Government at the next election – whenever that is. An election could be held sooner than 2013 of course if the GreenLabor Government was to lose a seat in a byelection.

Your Government should do the decent thing – call a fresh election now and campaign on a platform to introduce your Carbon Tax – and then your Government could earn the mandate to introduce this colossal change to our national life.

PS: The BP Statistical Review of World Energy 2010 can be downloaded

Yours etc

Dear Government Members of Parliament and Senators.

Voters out here in the real world can not understand why tiny Australia is playing world leader by introducing a Carbon Tax.

Major global carbon emitters, China, India, Russia, Canada, Japan, France and the USA have either rejected or deferred ETS as a means of limiting CO2 emissions: That the Australian Government would rush in foolishly and go it alone to implement this utterly impractical Green policy – simply beggars belief !

And this, at a time when the US Dollar Index has tumbled fifteen percent in a year – harming our export industries by driving our dollar ever higher in value – while global debt concerns are ever present to threaten greater damage to markets.

Surely, this is the wrong time for Government to disrupt our economy by embarking on a windmill-tilting Green experiment to “do something about climate change” – an experiment which has not the slightest hope of having a detectable effect on global climate.

It is amazing that our Government has not done any due-diligence studies to assess the effect of a Carbon Tax on our economy. Voters out here in the real world value our national prosperity greatly and our Government should take heed of public opinion which is sixty percent against your Carbon Tax.

Your Government should call a fresh election now and campaign on a platform to introduce a Carbon Tax – and then your Government could earn the mandate to introduce this colossal change to our national life.

Yours