Bio fuels have been in the news a lot lately. Ethanol production is increasing along with the cost of all kinds of foods we purchase at the grocery stores due to the higher prices of corn. Farmers are abandoning crops they used to grow in favor of the new "cash cow" crop.
As corn production increases and prices rise, we ask ourselves if, in the end, the offset in overall carbon savings makes it all worthwhile. After all, emissions from ethanol are about the same as those from oil but the plants used to produce ethanol absorb carbon dioxide as they grow. SOOO one would surmise that in the end, ethanol would still be the better choice due to the corn having absorbed carbon dioxide before the fuel produced.
A study being released today in the journal Science explores whether we actually are benefiting from this "Eco fuel". In order to grow the quantity of corn for ethanol and palm oil for biodiesel, land has to be cleared by the farmers which actually creates a "carbon debt" that can take "decades or centuries" to repay.
"I was surprised that with so many of the crops, it takes so long before you break even [on carbon emissions]," said study co-author David Tilman of the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. The university and the nonprofit group the Nature Conservancy conducted the study.
"I don't think we can afford to make biofuels if we have to wait 50 years for any benefit," he added.
In addition to actually creating a carbon deficit, corn ethanol could spawn deforestation, deplete soil nutrients, and undermine food security. (http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080108-switchgrass-ethanol.html)
Of course, the first choice of fuel reduction must be a reduction in consumption across the board. While high prices and drains on family budget for food and energy are making some decreases necessary and not necessarily voluntary, another way is to make the most from what we already have!
EcoEtsy and Trashion are two teams at Etsy.com who strive to make great things old new again.
Check out the stores in Etsy:
Blue Bingo Earrings
museglass
Dot the Spotted Dog by: Ruby Reusable
No comments:
Post a Comment