The Problem with Biofuels
We should have known that any product endorsed by the U.S. auto industry and the agribusiness lobby couldn’t really be sustainable. Agribusiness loves ethanol biofuels because they can get higher prices for corporate corn; the auto industry loves ethanol because it doesn’t have to retool their gas-guzzling cars. In October, the United Nations called for a moratorium on the use of biofuels, because they are exploiting land used to produce food and causing food prices to rise.
“It’s a crime against humanity to convert agriculturally productive soil into soil which is producing food stuff which will be burned into biofuel.”–Jean Ziegler, United Nations
In Brazil, carbon-neutralizing rainforest is being replaced with soybean fields to produce soy-based ethanol. Zaproot’s Jessica shares the quick and easy scoop on the problem with biofuels in her “Biofuels Suck” video.
Biofuels produced from residual waste products do show promise, however, and some cry that we shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bath water by discounting biofuels entirely. What is clear is that, if reducing carbon emissions is our goal, the biofuels strategy needs to be examined carefully.
I read in “Popular Mechanics” about how all these so called “alternative” fuels, wouldn’t fuel the whole country.
In the numbers game, alternatives are few and far between, and we’re totally screwed.
That’s why I walk or skateboard, everywhere!
I don’t go far…6 miles max.
Be careful lumping all ‘biofuels’ into one category of total unsustainability. Check out the recent announcements concerning cellulosic ethanol production (http://gas2.org/2008/03/07/first-cellulosic-ethanol-plant-goes-online-makes-fuel-from-wood-waste/)
and (http://gas2.org/2008/01/13/gm-announces-biofuel-partnership-cheap-green-ethanol/).
There is a good possibility that cellulosic ethanol could make up the lion’s share of ethanol production in the next 10 years.
Also, if you talk to auto industry execs, they are pretty adamant about their cars needing serious re-tooling to run on higher blends of ethanol (E85), at least blends that will make any kind of a difference.