The Editor, Sir:

During the oil crisis of the 1970s when gasolene was hard to come by, the Brazilian government began promoting bio-ethanol as a fuel. In 1975, the government there launched the National Alcohol Programme, a nationwide programme financed by the state to phase out automobile fuels derived from fossil fuels, such as gasolene, in favour of ethanol produced form sugar cane. That was more than three decades ago.

Brazil now leads the world as it relates to the use of ethanol-powered vehicles. As a matter of fact, Brazil is one of a few, if not the only country that has cars powered entirely by ethanol. They introduced the E10 fuel blend approximately 30 years ago.

Jamaica has not been blessed with such visionary leadership but out of necessity this country must now find its own ethanol revolution if we are not to fall victim to spiralling oil prices that threatens to cripple our very fragile and contracting economy. If there was ever a time to embrace the use of ethanol blends, it is now.

Disruption

That being said, change is usually never easily embraced. Change also causes several degrees of disruption to the way we go about our business daily. This is what we are experiencing now as Jamaicans grapple with the attendant problems with regards to the use of the E10 fuel blend.

As is the cause with most processes of change ,there will be hiccups. A small number of motorists have expressed real concerns about how their vehicles are responding to the fuel blend, hoping for the Government to come to their rescue or return to the use of the regular fuel to which we all are accustomed. The trouble is, there is no turning back on this issue.

We have to change

Jamaica simply cannot afford to maintain a status quo wherein oil is still king. We have to change. Oil is becoming way too expensive for this and many other countries around the world, for that matter. This shift to the E10 fuel blend will save this country billions. With that in mind, it would behove those experiencing problems with their vehicles, now that they have to use the E10 blend, to find solutions to the problems - because there are solutions - and complain a bit less. They should arm themselves with the relevant information that will make their lives better for having embraced the use of the E10 fuel blend.

Most of the problems experienced by those motorists using E10 blend are relatively minor ones that can be remedied by doing a little reading or asking a few questions of the right people.

If we are to succeed as a nation, we have to find it in ourselves to put aside our differences and work together. Small sacrifices will have to be made but, in the end, we all will benefit.

I am, etc.,

J. SMITH

Santa Cruz,

St Elizabeth