Feeling smug because you just switched the Family Truckster over to 100% homegrown all-veggie save-the-planet biofuels? Not so fast - a new study by the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute suggests that some biofuels may do more damage to the planet than the oil, gas and coal they're intended to replace.
The study looks at 26 dfferent biofuels and compares their greenhouse-gas reduction to their overall environmental impact, including effects on ecosystems and use of natural resources. The results showed that all biofuels are not equal, with some being just about as green as claimed, while others aren't much better than powering your car with coal. In all, 12 of the fuels considered had a greater environmental impact than gasoline burning. The best fuels from an environmental standpoint are those made from the waste products of other processes, like used cooking oil or ethanol from wood. The worst are those which may encourage destruction of existing eco-systems to grow the feed crop, especially Malaysian palm oil, Brazilian soy, or American corn. The researchers did not take into account the higher food prices that result from converting farmland over to fuel crops.
The lessons? Conservation remains key, and it's not enough just to avoid oil. Even "green" alternatives can have a downside.
via [Science Daily]
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