Biofuels: Doing more harm than good?

2/8/2008

ABC news reports that two new studies may "call into question the energy bill recently passed by Congress, which calls for increased biofuel production — 15 billion gallons by 2015."

The studies from the Nature Conservancy and Princeton University said that "past data that has outlined the benefits of biofuels didn't include the issues surrounding the impact of land use and the carbon released into the air as a result...

"Princeton researchers found that the production of corn-based ethanol nearly doubles greenhouse emissions over 30 years and increases greenhouse gasses for 167 years."

The studies don't conclude that the production of biofuel is always detrimental the environment, they can be beneficial when made "from abandoned, depleted farmland and biomass waste, like unused parts of a corn plant."  But they can no longer be viewed as a "silver bullet" for lowering carbon emissions. Mandates like those in the recent energy bill passed by Congress don't take that distinction into account.

For the full article, click here.