biofuels fuel poverty

Biofuels do have a place if done sensibly. The key is the use of woody, non-food source plants such as switchgrass and the growth of cellulosic tecnologies. Cellulosic fuel making techniques make it possible to use the entire plant. Cellulosic ethanol from algae advances will likely make it possible to make enormous amounts of fuel in very small spaces. Woody species can also be grown in buffer zones and marginal areas as to not take the place of food producing land. Both of these alternatives are much gentler on the environment, though I think the future is really in algae. There are many downfalls such as described in your link,to using food sources as biofuel.

Biofuels can have a place in our energy needs, but only if we use them appropriately and wisely. It makes no sense at all to replace our dependence on foreign oil with a dependence on foreign grown sources of biofuels. It makes no sense at all to replace the pollution of fossile fuels with pollution from producing biofuels. It makes no sense at all to use food crops for biofuel. It makes no sense at all to mandate biofuel, or mixtures of bio/fossile fuels if the gas mileage is significantly reduced. That being said, it makes a lot of sense to replace fossile fuels with renewable resources, as long as they can keep up with demand. It makes a lot of sense to replace our dependence on foreign sources with domestic sources. It makes a lot of sense to switch to a source that is less polluting. It makes a lot of sense to use non food sources for biofuels (especially if it uses sources that have traditionally gone unused for anything). It makes a lot of sense to put biofuels on the market, and let the consumers choose.

I wrote about the dangers of biofuels a year or so ago. At the time, the price of corn was severely impacting the poor in Mexico, since corn is such a large part of their diet. It is never a good idea to encourage growth of crops for fuel instead of food, and as someone pointed out, biofuels didn't turn out to be cheaper and many studies show they aren't more environmentally friendly either. The time for alternative energy sources is upon us, and they will become better, cheaper and more efficient as the need grows. Technology keeps apace with what is needed, and alternative energy will be no different. We have to be careful not to blindly go down just any road that is an alternative, but clearly understand the ends of the paths we take.

I doubt this is any difference from the growing of coca leaves. The guy in charge has the whip. I say grow hemp. It's more economical. Climate change. There is absolutely nothing anyone anywhere can do to change the fact the climate will change and always has.

Well I have several biofuel facilities close to my city and when the price of oil was so high the increase in biofuel drove the price of corn up so high that everything made with corn was so expensive. I also know that the facilities by my city get $1.00 per gallon sold from the US government, so when petro based fuel was selling for $4.50 a gallon biofuels were selling for $4.25 a gallon and that didn't include the $1.00 a gallon they were getting from the US government. Since, the price of fuel has fallen the biofuel is not selling as fast, which has lowered corn prices. It's been nice being able to afford corn products again LOL

Well now, that was interesting. It seems some of us have a way of messing up nearly every potentially good thing discovered. I have no idea why the US would be pouring money in to foreign production of maize, etc., while at the same time the govt. pays farmers here to leave a certain percentage of their own good farm land idle. Sheesh! That makes no sense! We have enough farm land and excess food each year that is just trashed to feed the whole world, literally. Again, I just do not get this kind of crap. Karen