Well I'm not a Die hard environmentalist, but we have to think about the future and the fact the crude oil is not a renewable commodity, and whoever says that alternative fuels will NEVER cover the world demand for energy is wrong, take a look at Brasil, they are the most energy independent country in the world (alternative fuel wise), they produce ethanol from sugar cane, and performance wise the ethanol produced from sugar cane has more octance than E85 (E85 has more octane-about 100 to 105-than premium 93 Grade gas)
So imagine, more performance, cheaper than gas, renewable and eco-friendly. I know that this is not a miracle fuel and it'll take a mix of other technologies to be fully independent of fossil fuels, but we have to have the will to change and act accordingly, the technologies are out there.
Here's a link to the article about Brasil:
Brazil Exploits Ethanol as a Substitute for Petroleum