In our modern age we are increasingly aware of the damage we are causing to the enviroment, so when someone bought up the idea of ethanol as a
sustainable, pollution free source of fuel many people jumped on this great idea. The sad fact is though that ethanol isn't as green as some people
think and worst of all, although it reduces emissions it is causing other more harmful effects to our planet. Not only that but it's causing direct
harm to the least well off, here is how.
I'm going to break up this post into four sections, firstly the myth of ethanol being better for the enviroment via lower emissions, secondly the
damage caused by the farming methods involved, thirdly the direct damage to the least well off in our world and finally the general problems it causes
the average person.
Ethanol isn't better for the enviroment
www.theregister.co.uk...
Good science news (or bad, depending on your point of view) has arrived with two reports on the carbon footprint of biofuels, in the paper edition
of Science magazine. They deal serious damage to the belief - which up to now has been driving the biofuel bubble - that stepped-up ethanol production
in the US is an answer to global warming. Writing in "Use of US croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions for Land Use or
Change," Timothy Searchinger and many others state: "To produce more biofuels, farmers can directly plow up more forest or grassland, which releases
to the atmosphere much of the carbon previously stored in plants and soils through decomposition or fire.
The problem is that in order to grow more of the lucrative crop, environmental groups fear Indonesia will clear rainforest land. Earlier this
year, Indonesia's government tossed plans to develop the world's largest palm oil plantation -- nearly 2 million hectars -- by clearing one of the
most diverse rainforest areas in the world only after it was proven that much of the proposed area was too high and steep for cultivation. But in
order to supply just 1 percent of the EU's fuel needs, a 3 million hectar plantation
would be required, according to a new study by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF).
A new study suggests that biodiesel could increase rather than reduce greenhouse gas emissions compared to petrol diesel.EU legislation which
promotes the adoption of biodiesel will not make a difference to global warming, according to a new study reported in the Chemistry & Industry
magazine.
I'm sure you've seen in the linked articles the fact that many farmers are clearing more forests and habitats to grow these biofuels, the
rainforests of the world are being cleared even faster for this very reason. There are however some other major problems with biofuel farming
gas2.org...
In case you didn’t know, the “dead zone” isn’t just a novel by Steven King or an old TV show, it’s an area about the size of New Jersey
in the Gulf of Mexico that during the summer months is incapable of supporting sea life. The dead zone is created when fertilizer run off promote
algae growth, which in turn throws off the oceans equilibrium by using all the available oxygen, killing everything else. So, good for algae perhaps,
but bad for the sea life in general.
It's long been established that the fertilizers from farming can cause serious trouble when run off occurs, nitrogen being the main problem. Biofuel
farming means more land is cleared just for the increased needs of biofuel, the sad fact is that if every car tomorrow went to biofuel we wouldn't be
able to farm enough crops to support that and feed our current population.
The fertilizers also require energy and chemicals to produce, the increase in need for them is a major problem and will jsut add to the "carbon
footprint" of these crops.
Direct damage to the poorest people
By growing biofuels instead of food we directly cause harm to the poorest of people by raising the price of food, not only that but an acre of corn
can feed hundreds of people, it can however only fuel a car for a short distance.
auto.howstuffworks.com...
Through research performed at Cornell University, we know that 1 acre of land can yield about 7,110 pounds (3,225 kg) of corn, which can be
processed into 328 gallons (1240.61 liters) of ethanol. That is about 26.1 pounds (11.84 kg) of corn per gallon.
7.110 pounds of corn, can you see how many peopel this could feed? Yet this only produces 328 gallons of fuel. If we used this to feed people instead
of fuel we could make a serious dent in those that are starving in our world.
Damage to the average person
auto.howstuffworks.com...
The final cost of the fuel-grade ethanol is about $1.74 per gallon. (Of course, a lot of variables go into that number.) The average price for a
gallon of gas in the United States is about $1.40 as of August 9, 2001, according to GasPriceWatch.com.
So here we havea direct financial problem for the average citizen, but lets assume you want to help the enviroment. Currently the world is going
through a difficult financial enviroment, we could start paying more for fuel but this raises the price of everything else we rely upon. If this
happens we further increase the cost of basic goods, food, medical supplies, fuels, clothing everything we rely upon in our society that needs
transport wil lincrease in price.
This wil lhave a horrible knock on effect to the entire economy and by extension the global economy, causing further harm to the poorest of the poor
and anyone on a limited income.
For further reading i supply these links.
This link shows you cnanot have biofuels and enough food crops:-
Food price rises force a cut in biofuels
www.timesonline.co.uk...
This link shows the sheer wastefulness of biofuel farming, is a persons life worth a full tank?
news.bbc.co.uk...
The grain required to fill the petrol tank of a Range Rover with ethanol is sufficient to feed one person per year. Assuming the petrol tank is
refilled every two weeks, the amount of grain required would feed a hungry African village for a year
This link again shows the damage to food crops
The looming food crisis
www.guardian.co.uk...
Another food and biofuel controversy link
Food and fuel compete for land
peopleandplanet.net...
A general link of biofuel information, figure and facts
auto.howstuffworks.com...
How much corn would I need to grow in order to produce enough ethanol fuel to drive my car across the country?
Links relating to food price increases
www.bbc.co.uk...
news.bbc.co.uk...
There is a final problem but i could'nt find a link for it, ethanol causes more wear on an engine and is less efficient than petrol and diesel, so
you use more of it to go the same distance! Ethanol is a true scam and i want everyone to know.
Edit for typing mistakes
[edit on 3-4-2008 by ImaginaryReality1984]
