Biofuels: Feeding the Earth or Feeding the Engine?
By Aissa Dearing | Published: 2024-11-28 18:00:00 | Source: The Present – Big Think
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JSTOR Daily is not new to the biofuel conversation. Many contributors have written optimistically about the biofuel industry’s contributions to… Sustainable aviationrecovery Prairie landscapesand even find a new use for Massive seagrass deposits. Biofuels made from corn, wheat, soybeans, rapeseed oil, palm oil, woody biomass – and even algae – have been positioned as key transitional fuels on the path to net zero carbon emissions and energy sovereignty. Although this sounds intrinsically positive from an environmental standpoint, biofuels can also have serious impacts on environmental equity and land-use competition, affecting food security, sustainable infrastructure, and terrestrial carbon sinks. Are there ways we can promote biofuel growth in ways consistent with the principles of environmental justice and a renewable economy?
Researchers Jorn B. W. Charlemagne and William F. Lawrence provides a complex picture of the environmental impact of biofuels, writing that “Not all biofuels are beneficial when their full environmental impacts are assessed, (and) some of the most important ones, such as those produced from corn, sugarcane and soybeans, perform poorly in many contexts.With reference to the findings of Rainer Sahh, Meryl Faust, Jürgen Reinhard, and Daniel Birchmeier, who studied the life cycle impacts of 26 types of biofuelsCharlemagne and Lawrence write that nearly half (twelve of twenty-six) of the biofuels evaluated, including corn ethanol, have greater total environmental costs than fossil fuels. These costs manifest themselves in various forms, from the extensive use of nitrogen fertilizers, which emit nitrous oxide – a powerful greenhouse gas that depletes stratospheric ozone – to vast tracts of agricultural land and native habitats being converted into biofuel production sites.
Economist Daniela Rossi confirms this fact Low production of biofuel crops usually requires large-scale monoculturesWhich often requires large inputs of fertilizers, pesticides and industrial machinery. This intensive agricultural model not only results in significant emissions of trace gases, but also creates competition for land use, depleting biodiversity, ecosystem health, hydrological function, and soil organic carbon, Charlemagne and Lawrence write. It is estimated that large-scale biofuel production would require massive investments in land and labor to make even little difference in fossil fuel use, undermining the sustainability that biofuels aim to achieve. In addition, greenhouse gases are emitted throughout the biofuel supply chain, as oil and gas are used to transport raw materials to biofuel processing plants to end users.
However, the impact of biofuel production extends beyond environmental concerns, affecting land administration and justice issues, especially in post-colonial states. As energy agriculture expands, it often encroaches on farmland traditionally used to grow food crops and subsistence agriculture, affecting vulnerable populations who rely on staple foods such as corn, wheat and sugar for their daily sustenance. Biofuels compete with the resources needed to produce food, creating a phenomenon Rossi calls “ethanol inflation,” or rising prices of staple foods, making them unaffordable.
Biofuel farming also formalizes land tenure where land relations were more fluid and ancestral. As Laura German and George C. Schoenfeld and Babel Pacheco through case studies on biofuel production in Malaysia, Ghana, and Indonesia, Land conflicts have arisen over the distribution of utility payments to those with documented ownership versus those who exploit the land through customary methods.. In most sites, customary land stewards were neither informed in advance nor consulted before finalizing the agreement and clearing the land.
In order to reconcile the benefits of biofuels with their environmental, social and economic costs, it is necessary to shift towards more sustainable and equitable models. Joyce Tait, chair of the Nuffield Council on Bioethics’ biofuels taskforce, says ethics in the biofuels industry need to be strengthened; The development of biofuels should not come at the expense of basic human rightsincluding access to food, water and land. Ethical approaches to biofuel production must go beyond the mathematics of which crops can grow tallest and fastest. The industry should prioritize biofuels that do not compete with food production, such as those derived from algae or agricultural waste, and develop specialized, small-scale productions that reduce resource inputs, as described by German, Schoenfeld, and Pacheco. These smallholder operations also enhance local benefits and promote more inclusive economic growth. Policymakers must also ensure that fair trade practices and fair compensation for labor and intellectual property rights are at the heart of the biofuel industry, ensuring that the benefits of biofuel development are distributed fairly.
Although biofuels represent a promising alternative to fossil fuels, their implementation must be managed to avoid exacerbating issues related to environmental injustice. By adopting a comprehensive approach that balances environmental, economic and social considerations, we can harness the potential of biofuels to contribute to a more sustainable and just energy future.
this condition appeared on JSTOR DailyWhere news meets its scientific counterpart.
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