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Corn ethanol is not solution to energy independence mongabay.com July 18, 2007
The report, The Rush to Ethanol: Not all BioFuels are Equal, reviews recent scientific studies on the environmental and economic implications of replacing fossil fuel production with corn ethanol. It found that corn ethanol is neither realistic nor productive source of biofuel. "Dedicating the entire U.S. corn crop to ethanol production would only offset 15 percent of gasoline demand," explained a statement release by the Network for New Energy Choices, one of the groups that sponsored the report. "Conversely, modest increases in auto fuel efficiency standards of even one mile per gallon for all cars and light trucks, such as those passed by the Senate last month could cut petroleum consumption by more than all alternative fuels and replacement fuels combined." Further, says the report, at best corn ethanol will only reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 18 percent to 28 percent relative to gasoline. In comparison, cellulosic ethanol is expected to offer a reduction of 87 percent. Corn ethanol also presents health and pollution concerns.
"Rural communities won't benefit from the Farm Bill becoming a fuel bill. In the long run, family farmers and the environment will be losers, while agribusiness, whose political contributions are fueling the ethanol frenzy, will become the winners," said Wenonah Hauter, Executive Director of Food & Water Watch, a group that also underwrote the research. The report recommends specific revisions to the 2007 Farm Bill, including tying biofuels promotion policies to the sustainability of the feedstock, eliminating subsidies for coal-fired ethanol refineries, and offering lLoan guarantees for refineries owned directly by farmers and rural communities -- not agribusiness giants. The Vermont Law School Institute for Energy and the Environment also backed the report. The Rush to Ethanol: Not all BioFuels are Equal Related articles Biodiversity of rainforests should not be compared with oil palm plantations says palm oil council chief (11/11/2008) Scientists should compare the biodiversity oil palm plantations to other industrial monocultures, not the rainforests they replace, said Dr. Yusof Basiron, CEO of the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC), in a post on his blog. Basiron's comments are noteworthy because until now he has maintained that oil palm plantations are "planted forests" rather than an industrial crop. First RSPO-certified ("eco-friendly") palm oil shipment to arrive in Europe (11/10/2008) The first shipment of palm oil certified under the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) is expected to arrive in Europe Tuesday, but an environmental group is already criticizing the initiative's credentials. EU's sustainable biofuels push angers Malaysia, Brazil (11/7/2008) Eight developing countries threatened to file a World Trade Organization complaint against the E.U. for its proposed legislation to require imported biofuels to meet environmental standards, reports Reuters. Air travel may be powered by biofuels in 3-5 years (10/27/2008) Boeing says biofuel-powered planes are only three-to-five years away from being a reality, reports The Guardian. Cellulosic biofuels endanger old-growth forests in the southern U.S. (10/16/2008) Cellulosic biofuel is on its way. This second generation biofuel — so-called because it does not involve food crops — has excited many researchers and policymakers who hope for a sustainable energy source that lowers carbon emissions. However, some believe that cellulosic biofuel may prove less-than-perfect. Just as agricultural biofuels have gone from being considered 'green' to an environmental disaster, some think the new rush to cellulosic biofuel will follow the same course. Scot Quaranda is one of those concerned about cellulosic biofuel’s impact on the environment. Campaign director at Dogwood Alliance, which he describes as "the only organization in the Southern US holding corporations accountable for the impact of their industrial forestry practices on our forests and our communities", Quaranda condemns cellulosic biofuels as dangerous to forests “by its very definition”. Comments? News options
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