Impacts of Biofuels in the Environment

Biofuels, like ethanol and biodiesel, are being considered as the solution to escalating fossil fuel costs and climate change. Countries are investing more and more on biofuel research. But the use of “green fuels” is not without criticisms. Some argue that biofuel crops will consume swaths of farmlands, which can otherwise be used for food crop cultivation. Others are questioning the impact of biofuel use in reducing greenhouse gas emission. An article published by Science evaluates these concerns and discusses the current status of biofuel production in several countries.

 A key factor affecting biofuel efficacy is whether native ecosystems are destroyed to produce biofuels. Even each type of biofuels has its pros and cons. Although most biofuels reduce green house gas emissions relative to fossil fuels, many do not fare well in terms of environmental impacts. Crops that require nitrogen fertilizers for instance, like corn and rapeseed, can be a source of the green house gas nitrous oxide. The authors concluded that there is a need to consider more than just energy and greenhouse-gas emissions when evaluating different biofuels. The review mainly referenced the innovative work of Zah et al., which was commissioned by the Swiss Government.

Subscribers to the journal Science can access the paper at http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/319/5859/43