Ethanol, which comes from corn, can reduce toxic emissions by 50%... But Is it worth it?"Biofuels worse than fossil fuels, says expert" by Ethan A. Huff http://www.naturalnews.com/030549_biofuels_fossil_fuels.html
Biofuels are becoming more and more popular in the race to stop foreign oil dependency. However, Andreas Spath, PhD, an expert in the field of geochemistry, says that biofuel is worse for the environment than fossil fuels. Fossil fuels will be depleted eventually, so it is important that renewable resources are used as much as possible. Biofuel simply relies on plants. So how, you ask, dis it worse for the environment? Well, to make the biofuel, you need crops. The get the crops, you need to use fertilizer, and when it's time to harvest the crops, what does farmer Brown use? His big green tractor, of course, powered by none other than Mr. Fossil Fuel. Using crops for fuel actually increases food prices, too. U.S. corn production has been shifted away from food to ethanol fuel. A 2007 study showed that biofuel production releases twice as much
greenhouse gas as fossil fuels do.
greenhouse gas as fossil fuels do.
Biofuel production should not stop, because fossil fuels will run out. The corn used for biofuels should be organic, so there is no fertilizer pollution, and should be harvested using the fuel itself to reduce emissions.
Should biofuel be invested in?
Can this problem be solved?
What do you think the deciscion will be?
Wow John! Your example of farmer Brown really helped me understand the problem. I find it really interesting that fossil fuels are needed to help get the corn needed for biofuel.
ReplyDeleteI think this could be a huge problem. I do think biofuel should still be invested in, but not as much. I believe that the problem could be solved if we found a way to use plants without also using fossil fuels to help.
:)
This is really enlightening . I had always thought that biofuel was way more pure and eco-friendly than fossil fuels, but there isn't much of a difference. They are both bad for the environment, as biofuel requires fossil fuels and other harmful substances.
ReplyDeleteLike Jordan said, this is a huge problem. I think they should be invested in, because we are coming closer and closer to being without fossil fuels, and when they run out, we will have to turn to biofuel. Perhaps with extra money, they could make it more eco friendly.
This was a very good way to explain this topic john! This summary really helped me understand the difference of the impact that fossil fuels and biofuel have on the environment. I, like Jarrett, also thought that biofuel was way more eco-friendly than fossil fuels are. It turns out though, that there really is not much of a difference between the two impacts.
ReplyDeleteIn answer to the second question, I believe that this problem can not be 100% solved because it is a HUGE problem. I do believe though that if they change the corn to be organic and no longer contain ethanol, then that will greatly limit the amount of fertilizer use, which helps solve part of the problem. Overall, I think this problem can not be 100% fixed because of how big of a problem it is and how much of an effort and money it would cause to completely solve the problem, BUT it can improve in ways.
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