I'm seriously wiped from a long day doing factor analyses of anxiety questionnaires, so I've got nothing to say, at least coherently. Luckily for me, and you, my friend Jeni just sent me this short film from Vancouver about Biofuel.
You may now discuss. I will be back as soon as I find my perspicacity.
2 comments:
So I have a question, and maybe I just don't understand the whole system completely...the idea of biofuels is really good, but what about the impact on other consumers of the plants? For instance, people in Africa are starving because we can't get enough food to them. Also, we are feeding cows stuff that isn't really plants any more (I heard somewhere that farmers are using cardboard and vitamin supplements). Are biofuels raising the cost of the plants so that things like bread are going to start costing more?
Geez, today it seems I'm just ragging on the ideas here.
In my mind, biofuels is probably the most ... seriously unintelligent choices for fuels. Sure it's renewable, that's great if you want to keep sustaining the use of burning fuels.
The previous comment left here is reaching in the right direction but there's more. Yes, the soaring prices of wheat and corn are being fuelled by one of two things - one of which is biofuel productions (the other fuel prices for agriculture equipment).
But biofuels emit just as much CO2 as a hydrocarbon - in fact, for the amount of energy to drive 1km, a biofuel emits MORE CO2 than a conventional fuel because it the combustion process gives off less energy per lb of CO2 produced (therefore you need to burn more to do the same thing as a hydrocarbon). Not only that but biofuels still produce NOx and SOx (albeit at a smaller ratio than hydrocarbons). So what exactly makes this fuel 'clean' again?
So we're going to destroy agricultural space to burn why again? Biofuels is being pushed because of public perception. Wait for the total conversion of oil to biofuels to happen and see how many people can't afford food while the environment really isn't 'saved' in the least.
I hate to say it, but if you want to push sustainable power, look to wind, solar, tidal, and geothermal. All are nto 100% clean (ecological footprint of construction of equipment). If our society cannot be sustained by these methods alone, I hate to say it, but nuclear remains (in my mind) the best bet we have.
I like how the Nova Scotia government has turned down nuclear power options because 'background radiation levels are unsafe'. Unfortunately, EVERY single coal mine in Nova Scotia emits much, much more radiation than a full fledged power plant.
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