Tuesday, March 3, 2009

Why Biofuels Are the Rainforest's Worst Enemy

In my post below this one, I should have added one more thing to my statement on 'using human food sources for biofuels." It is not just turning human food sources into biofuels that is egregious (in my humble opinion), but that growing biomass on agriculturally viable land (whether it be fertile farmland or acres of rain forest) is troublesome. Any threat to food supplies or biodiversity is problematic (and also shows that we do not take future generations into consideration).

This excellent reporting by Mother Jones magazine on the rush to grow oil palms (good for creating biodiesel, apparently) on diverse rain forest land is particularly troublesome. The rush to find cheaper fuel is clouded with the myopia of short-term profits. Third world nations, with the help of their governments, are rushing to grow palm trees on rain forest land. If the rain forests die, we die. It is really that simple.

The second-generation biofuels that I am talking about are the algaes that can be grown in tanks in the desert. That is the type of biofuel that we can generate with somewhat of a clear conscience and an eye toward the future. I wonder when we are going to stop this nonsense of short-term thinking and greed.

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Wishful Thinking

*Before adding PV, wind, or solar thermal to your residential or commercial structure, the first step is to analyze this structure's energy consumption through a professional energy audit. I'd like to see some public education on the importance of an energy audit for any structure. Remember Smokey the Bear's forest fire shtick drilled into our heads over the last few decades? How about something like, "Henry the House" desperately wanting to know how much energy he consumes and wastes throughout the day?

*With over 300 sunny days a year on the Front Range is it too much to ask for solar PV and thermal modules on every residential and commercial unit (after an energy audit of course)?


*How about affordable plug-in electric cars that go more than 100 miles on a charge with PV and wind powered recharging stations?

*Dreaming of companies large and small adopting business sustainability practices to maximize profits, reduce their carbon footprint, and enhance the lives of their employees and the communities that surround them.

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