Biofuels Pros and Cons
Environmental Issue Paper
07/31/12
Biofuels: The Pros and Cons
A hot topic all over the world today is whether or not biofuels should be implemented to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biofuels are defined as “liquid fuels derived from biological materials; can be made from plants, vegetable oils, forest products, or waste materials” (Dale, Kline, Wiens, 2). Currently in Europe, the European Commission (EC) is committed to reducing the total green house gas emissions 20% by 2020, and 80-95% by 2050. The EC plans on doing this by the use of biofuels. The controversy of biofuel use stems mainly from a global perspective on the influence of biofuels on the natural environment and impact of food security ("Ernst & Young LLP" 4-5). Yet, biofuels are renewable energy and provide for a new market for agriculture producers. As carbon emissions are continually increasing more research is being done on biofuels such as ethanol from corn and algae. Biofuels are a renewable energy source, carbon neutral, and reduce dependency on foreign oils.
Many government officials and people in the general population do not support the use of biofuels to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many agriculture’s think that there will be less land to grow food if more land is used for biofuel production. This would cause an upward pressure on food prices that could lead to starvation in developing nations that are already struggling. A statistic said that filling a tank on a sport utility vehicle could feed one person per year ("World Development Report 2008: Agriculture For Development" 70-71). Environmentalists argue that using more land for biofuels adds to deforestation and habitat loss for many plants and animals. Both the agriculture and environmentalist concerns could be solved using intensification of land, which means increasing the crop yield of the same sized area that was originally used (want to know it). Also, instead of cutting down forests for more
07/31/12
Biofuels: The Pros and Cons
A hot topic all over the world today is whether or not biofuels should be implemented to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Biofuels are defined as “liquid fuels derived from biological materials; can be made from plants, vegetable oils, forest products, or waste materials” (Dale, Kline, Wiens, 2). Currently in Europe, the European Commission (EC) is committed to reducing the total green house gas emissions 20% by 2020, and 80-95% by 2050. The EC plans on doing this by the use of biofuels. The controversy of biofuel use stems mainly from a global perspective on the influence of biofuels on the natural environment and impact of food security ("Ernst & Young LLP" 4-5). Yet, biofuels are renewable energy and provide for a new market for agriculture producers. As carbon emissions are continually increasing more research is being done on biofuels such as ethanol from corn and algae. Biofuels are a renewable energy source, carbon neutral, and reduce dependency on foreign oils.
Many government officials and people in the general population do not support the use of biofuels to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Many agriculture’s think that there will be less land to grow food if more land is used for biofuel production. This would cause an upward pressure on food prices that could lead to starvation in developing nations that are already struggling. A statistic said that filling a tank on a sport utility vehicle could feed one person per year ("World Development Report 2008: Agriculture For Development" 70-71). Environmentalists argue that using more land for biofuels adds to deforestation and habitat loss for many plants and animals. Both the agriculture and environmentalist concerns could be solved using intensification of land, which means increasing the crop yield of the same sized area that was originally used (want to know it). Also, instead of cutting down forests for more
References: Martin, L.J. "Carbon Neutral - What Does it Mean?." eejits ' guides. (2006): 1. Web. 30 Jul. 2012. . Want To Know It, . "Advantages of Biofuels." Want to know it? Answers to life 's questions. N.p., 2012. Web. Web World Development Report 2008: Agriculture For Development. Washington D.C.: World Bank Publications, 2007