Makes sense
April 25, 2008 | 05:17 PM

Ethanol is obviously a problem, but synthetic fertilizers do not need to be made with natural gas. Any source of hydrogen will do (The hydrogen is reacted with nitrogen in the air to form ammonia). The Haber-Bosch reaction can be driven with nuclear power -- synthetic fertilizers do not need to be a thing of the past. Chances are that we'll need these fertilizers in the future. Look at Cuba. Though proponents of organic production flaunt it as a success story (and it is to some extent), they are a net importer of food, their diets have fallen by over 1,000 calories per day per person, and they eat about 20% of the meat that they once did. And they still use about 20% of the synthetic fertilizer that they once did. Fertilizer that they need to import because they no longer produce it.

A good book on the production of synthetic fertilizers -- and organic -- is Enriching the Earth by Vacliv Smil. All you wanted to know about what we need to grow crops and more.