Several reasons why an ethanol policy worked better for Brazil. First, it's a much smaller economy and populace than ours. Second, sugar cane produces approx. 50% higher yield per acre of alcohol output than corn. Third they practice more "flexible" environmental policy than we do so can further lower the cost of production by burning the cane stalks in the alcohol production process. And of course they have a lower standard of living than we do...................well, for now anyway.

Additionally they haven't forsaken exploring for oil on there offshore regions. http://article.wn.com/view/2009/09/0...an_oil_fields/

And are able/willing to partner with the Chinese (who have been spending the last couple years making deals around the world to line up petroleum sources in preparation for the next economic upturn as well as the growth of their own economic base)
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124274623930634997.html

http://www.allbusiness.com/mining-ex...2991973-1.html

Somehow these stories seem out of sync with the stories we've heard for the last 30 years that world supplies of crude are almost gone, and that we MUST develop new "clean-green" energy sources. Well, the good news is, when we're a second rate economy our demand will be lower.