Biofuels not a silver bullet

My USA mate Jeff McIntire-Strasburg over at Sustainablog writes:

"Many of us have said that, of course, but given the recent embrace of ethanol, particularly by Washington (i.e., Johnn Kerry's speech from last week touting ethanol as a major element of energy independence), we need more op-ed pieces like this one from Sunday's Washington Post. In this essay, James Jordan and James Powell, research professors from New York's Polytechnic University, argue that we've got to take a look at the multiple limitations inherent in biofuels:

"'Biofuels such as ethanol made from corn, sugar cane, switchgrass and other crops are being touted as a "green" solution for a large part of America's transportation problem. Auto manufacturers, Midwest corn farmers and politicians are excited about ethanol. Initially, we, too, were excited about biofuels: no net carbon dioxide emissions, reduction of oil imports. Who wouldn't be enthusiastic?

"'But as we've looked at biofuels more closely, we've concluded that they're not a practical long-term solution to our need for transport fuels. Even if all of the 300 million acres (500,000 square miles) of currently harvested U.S. cropland produced ethanol, it wouldn't supply all of the gasoline and diesel fuel we now burn for transport, and it would supply only about half of
the needs for the year 2025. And the effects on land and agriculture would be devastating ...'"

Tagged: sustainability, permaculture, energy, oil