It is imperative that we pay more attention to developing alternative energy sources, says the Nanning-based Nanguo Morning Post. An excerpt follows:

The month-long crippling shortage of fuel in South China's Guangdong Province is finally coming to an end.

Oil, a dwindling and unrenewable energy source, threatens to bottleneck the economic development.

At present, however, it is still impossible to draw up a national energy strategy without paying attention to oil.

But the fuel shortages in South China and rising oil prices make it clear that China cannot afford to base its future development solely on oil.

Now is the time for China to think about the issue of alternative energy sources.

Brazil, another giant developing country, offers us some clues in this regard.

After the shocking 1973 world oil crisis, this South American country decided to embark on a diversified energy strategy.

Brazil, a major cane-producing country, developed alcohol fuel, which uses cane as the raw material and is an environmentally friendly form of energy.

The wide usage of alcohol fuel not only reduced Brazil's heavy reliance on oil but also improved its air quality, and stimulated the growth of its dual-energy car industry.

China is also endowed with the right natural conditions to develop such green alternative energies.

For example, the south of China is suitable for producing cane and the north of China is fitted for growing sweet potato and maze: crops that are also ideal raw materials for making alcohol fuel.

And given the large pool of cheap labour in the country, the cost of producing such "green" alcohol in China would be much lower than in developed countries.

China has started pilot gasoline-substituting programmes in some places, where dual-energy vehicles are using both gasoline and other fuels such as alcohol.

But such programmes are only carried out on a small scale, meaning they can only have a meagre, if any, impact on our overall energy consumption.

With Guangdong's widespread fuel shortage and with calls to build an energy-efficient society gaining steam, the government should now pay more attention to developing alternative energy sources.