Saturday, January 26, 2008

Great Guardian article on biofuels

If you're tired of the "two legs good, four legs bad" type switcheroos the press keeps pulling with biofuels, here's a well-balanced article.

(That was an Animal Farm reference, by the way. George Orwell.)

To bio or not to bio - are 'green' fuels really good for the earth?
The EU says we need them, some experts say they damage the planet. Who is right?
David Adam, environment correspondent
The Guardian,
Saturday January 26 2008


From the top of the Greenergy refinery in Immingham you can see across the Humber estuary to Hull. A hum of equipment fills the air, along with a curious smell. Popcorn.

1 comment:

Anders said...

Interesting article, Mick. I agree that the press coverage of biofuels is oversimplifying and often misleading. Here's another article to complement yours, this one coauthored by David Tilman, a leading ecologist at the U. of Minnesota. It gives an overview of the energy budgets, environmental and ecological effects of producing ethanol from corn and biodiesel from vegetable oils.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/23/AR2007032301625.html

I would like to see some of the 'boosters' of biofuels in business and politics acknowledge and respond to these scientific findings. The differences between sustainability and economic/political expediency would become clearer to the public.