It ain’t easy being green: why biofuels may not be the answer

Jan 2008

Given the push toward “green” technologies and the apparent environmental benefits, biofuels have gained a great deal of popularity, particularly among governments.
For instance, the United States government has targeted a 20% reduction in the use of gasoline in the next ten years through greater use of alternative fuels, such as ethanol. Governments in Canada are also promoting biofuels such as ethanol as an environmental solution. The problem that critics point to is that proponents of biofuels are only looking at a small part of the equation and are not taking into consideration the entire life cycle of the product.
To determine whether or not biofuels are truly a better alternative to gasoline, it is argued that one must examine the “costs” of biofuels from production through consumption. In other words, one has to look at things such as the energy used in growing the crops used to produce the biofuels, the emissions created from the growing process and so forth.
Even if it becomes economical to produce biofuels using sources such as grasses and cellulose, which have less of an environmental impact in the production stage, the issue of food or fuel would still be a problem as land would be needed to grow those crops.
This paper concludes that one solution may be for governments to move away from policies promoting the use of biofuels and toward programs that will help reduce overall vehicle usage, such as better transit or urban growth strategies that promote living closer to work. Agreeing with the author and based on the scientific evidence, the environmental benefits of those types of policies are almost certain to exceed those related to biofuels.

By: D. Schrier (BC Stats)

 
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