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The Biofuel Debate

January 24th, 2008 by admin

As usual, the media have gone from one extreme to the other with regard the biofuel debate. Not long ago, biofuels seemed to be the way to save the planet. But now, following a confusing report from the all-party Environmental Audit Committee,  they are being reported as having a negative impact on greenhouse gas emissions.

The truth is that some biofuel have a good balance between the energy input needed to grow, process and transport the fuel compared with the energy contained in the fuel. Some do not.

For example, ethenol made from sugar cane in Brazil using the crop residue to provide the process heat has a good energy balance compared to ethenol from corn in the US when coal or gas is used for heat. In Europe, an oilseed rape crop has en excellent energy balance if the oil is used to produce biodiesel and the straw and seed residue is used to generate electricity or make cellolusic ethenol.

Probably the worst example of a biofuel crop having a negative impact is when rainforests are burnt to make way for oil palm plantations. Huge amounts of CO2 are emitted in burning the forest, then some more to cultivate the soil, plant, grow and harvest the crop and then ship it to Europe to help meet our renewables target.

Plainly biofuels are not all the same and the good ones have a very important part to play in the battle against climate change and energy insecurity. Peak Food believes governments should be encouraging the use of those with a good energy balance and at the same time make sure that renewable targets don’t just pull in biofuels that do more harm then good, and that energy audits are needed.  Do you agree?

Posted in Competition from Biofuels | 1 Comment »

Carbon Trading to cut GHG Emissions

January 23rd, 2008 by admin

In the Guardian of 23/01/08, Ian Traynor and Patrick Wintour spoke about how carbon trading can cut GHG emissions:

“The European commission will tell member states today what they have to do to meet its plan to cut greenhouse gas emissions by a fifth by 2020.

“Legislative proposals from Brussels, being unveiled today, will extend and improve the world’s first carbon trading scheme as the central element of the package to fight climate change.

“The proposals will also increase the EU’s power over member countries in trying to set a high price for carbon, and so promote energy efficiency, renewables and other low carbon forms of energy production. The measures set a mandatory target for a fifth of European energy to come from renewable sources, and for biofuels to supply 10% of all road fuel, both by 2020. The overall targets were agreed last year, but today’s draft directives put flesh on the bones of the world’s most ambitious climate change action plan and dictate what each member country and European industries have to do to make it a reality.

“The energy minister, Malcolm Wicks, said yesterday that Britain would be told to increase its energy from renewables by a factor of seven, meaning that up to 40 % of electricity generation in Britain should be from renewable sources by 2020. ‘We will meet our share of the European target, there’s no doubt about that,’ he told the BBC.

“The commitment to biofuels supplying 10% of all transport fuel is contentious, with analysts arguing that this is a counterproductive way to combat climate change, with the rush to manufacturing motor fuel from plants doing more damage than good.

“Discussions were continuing last night over the final figures for national contributions to the 20% reduction in greenhouse gases. It is thought that Britain would have to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by about 20%, although in November the prime minister, in his climate change bill, proposed cuts of about 30% by 2020.”

What do you think about carbon trading?

Posted in Climate Change | 1 Comment »

Developing World consumes more Resources

January 15th, 2008 by admin

Until recently, only about 1 billion people out of a 6.5 billion world population have been really big consumers of the earth’s resources. It has been mainly the west who have been using all kinds of raw materials and energy at a rate that is unsustainable and is damaging the planet.

But now billions more want to join the party, and are increasingly able to do so. There is a massive transfer of wealth from the west to the east as the west imports cheap manufactured goods from the far east and energy from the middle east.

This is important for Peak Food, as our ability to grow enough food in the future depends on us reducing CO2 emissions enough to keep the earth from warming more than 2 degrees C above pre-industrial levels and on slowing oil reserve depletion so that fossil fuel dependent farming can continue. As the fast developing nations with their huge populations become heavy consumers, this starts to look impossible.

As an example of what’s happening in the east, the Indian manufacturer Tata unveiled its new ‘people’s car’, the Nano. This car will cost about £1,300 in India before taxes, has a 32.5 bhp engine and will have 57 mpg fuel consumption. This has the potential to bring motoring to millions who are now becoming more prosperous but who had previously used mopeds, bicycles or just walked. Other makers have plans to produce similar cars and the sheer numbers involved will use massive resources both to build these vehicles and to power them.

We in the west should have expected that the rest of the world would want to share in the consumption of resources that has given us our high living standards, but the speed that it is happening at will impact on food production and consumption in a big way. 

 

Posted in Threats to Food Supply | No Comments »

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