ABSTRACT
Since the 1970s many countries started to put ethanol programs in place. Brazil and USA were outstanding in that practice. Also Argentina, Paraguay, and Zimbabwe had launched important programs. As oil prices dropped, government support waned and, by the end of the last century, only Brazil and USA still maintained those programs. The programs in Argentina, Paraguay and Zimbabwe were too small to survive when oil prices declined in the early 80s. However, China, India, Colombia, Thailand, and Australia have started their own programs which may trigger large scale uses of ethanol worldwide. The Brazilian experience demonstrates that it is possible to quadruple sugarcane production in less than a decade and that public acceptance for a new liquid fuel can be secured through appropriate government policies.
