January 14, 2008

Ecological Society Urges Research on Biofuels' Downsides

The Ecological Society of America says the country is rushing toward using biofuels as a replacement for petroleum without fully studying environmental sustainability. More-intensive cultivation of crops for fuel may accelerate soil erosion and damage to wildlife habitats and water quality, the society said in a written statement.

“There isn’t enough ecological research about the impact of doing this at the large scale,” said William J. Parton, a senior research scientist at Colorado State University and the society’s vice president for finance, in an interview. One outcome could be “an ecological disaster,” and more federal spending for such research is needed, he said.

Presidential candidates are touting biofuels, like ethanol derived from corn, as an antidote to America’s reliance on imported oil. Universities and corporations are rushing to support research to produce ethanol more cheaply. The ecological society’s views carry weight because it represents 10,000 scientists, and Mr. Parton said the society hoped its statement would attract attention from policy makers.

The statement cites “great potential” for biofuels but also downsides from increased cultivation of corn, such as runoff of fertilizers into streams. In addition, the federal government subsidizes corn production for ethanol, giving farmers an incentive to resume farming lands now protected by federal conservation programs. Much of this acreage offers habitats for birds and other wildlife.

Some scientists say those environmental impacts might lessen if producers cultivated plants other than corn, like prairie grasses, to make ethanol. However, converting such crops into ethanol is technically difficult and more expensive than using corn. Even if researchers solve those problems, environmental risks may remain, Mr. Parton said, because prairie grass also offers wildlife habitats.

The federal government has not released a tally of its total spending to study the ecological sustainability of growing crops for biofuels. However, one of the government’s few such efforts will take place at the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center, led by the University of Wisconsin at Madison. The center is one of three consortia financed by the Energy Department with $125-million over five years to study biofuels. The Wisconsin-led center will make the environmental sustainability of biofuels production one of five research “thrust areas.” —Jeffrey Brainard

Comments

1. Ethanol from corn is not, and never has been, a useful alternative to gasoline. Ethanol gets such lower mileage than gasoline that it remains un-competitive even when subsidized.

   — William Allin Storrer    Jan 14, 04:05 PM    #

2. It defies logic and compassion to contemplate using corn for fuel while so many people go to bed hungry.
   In my opinion, r&d dollars earmarked for biofuel would be better spent on the development of more efficient machines.

   — robert ullrich    Jan 14, 04:37 PM    #

3. Those interested in ESA’s statement may also be interested in our upcoming conference on the Ecological Dimensions of Biofuels, March 10, 2008 in Washington, DC. See www.esa.org/biofuels for details.

   — Clifford Duke, ESA    Jan 14, 04:40 PM    #

4. Ecological worries are not negligible, but these thoughts miss the point. Reliance on fossil fuels has caused known damage on a global scale, and has guided irrational foreign policy to the point where thousands of our countrymen and women are dying. The time to change is now with all alternatives on the table. Future efficacy and markets will sort out long-term solutions from short-term solutions. The only real economic comparison for alternative fuels adds future opportunity costs and human lives to the equation.

   — Andrew Gillespie    Jan 14, 04:46 PM    #

5. These three links show quite clearly why biofuel production, except perhaps at a very small level, is essentially destructive for mankind and will lead to mass starvation.

   http://www.theoildrum.com/node/2431 – “Fermenting the Food Supply”

   http://www.swans.com/library/art14/mdolin29.html – “Clinton And Obama On Iran And Biofuels”

   http://home.att.net/~meditation/bio-fuel-hoax.html – “The biofuel hoax is causing a world food crisis!”

   “The heartless message the United States Congress has given the low income people of the world is quite clear; LET THEM EAT BIOFUELS! Is the unintentional starvation inflicted on the world by thoughtless American politicians any more morally excusable than the intentional starvation of innocent civilians ordered by infamous dictators during times of war? Is political expediency, ignorance, and callous indifference a legitimate excuse for causing mass suffering and death?”

   — Christopher Calder    Jan 14, 05:05 PM    #

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