The bright side of biofuels isn't so bright

Darkfrog submitted, created time 4 months 1 week (sciencenow.sciencemag.org)

The argument in favor of biofuels--petroleum-replacement fuels made from plants like corn, soybeans and switchgrass--is that while burning oil releases new carbon into the air, burning biofuels would release only the carbon that the plants had absorbed from the air during their growth cycle. The net effect would be zero.

However, if one looks at the big picture, biofuels lose their luster. Not only has the conversion of food farms to fuel farms driven up food prices worldwide, but in the tropics, farmers are cutting down carbon-absorbing forests for corn plantations.

According to this article, the theory is sound, but in practice, biofuels are no better than oil.

Keywords: biofuels fuel oil petroleum economics ecology carbon pollution politics food agriculture