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Debate over biofuels continues
Professor John A. Mathews, Macquarie University
A couple of new pieces now online, as the debate over biofuels continues.
In Energy Policy, an opinion piece on ‘carbon negative biofuels’ (#14 in ‘articles in press’)
And in BioPFR, a response to Ziegler and Monbiot on crimes against humanity (Earlyview: Comments):
Both pieces are also available online on my website (refereed journal articles: Energy)
(20 January 2008)
From an email.
Jamaica: Debate over ethanol heats up as food prices rise
Peter Williams, Sunday Observer (Jamaica)
AS rising food prices continue to take huge bites out of the paycheques of Jamaicans, environmentalists, geographers and other interests remain locked in a heated debate over whether the country should be pressing ahead with the production of biofuels such as ethanol.
Biofuels are products that can be processed into liquid fuels for transport and heating purposes. They include bioethanol and biodiesel, which have been lauded by some as the answer to the world’s energy crisis, at a time when scientists agree the planet is under threat from climate change.
Environmentalist John Maxwell is staunchly against Jamaica’s endorsement of biofuel production, noting that it comes at too great a cost.
“We should be growing food and looking at solar and wind energy and forget all this craziness about biofuels. It is madness. You can’t be growing gas while people are starving. It doesn’t make any sense,” he told the Sunday Observer.
Maxwell’s comments come at a time when global agricultural production for energy is driving costs, while threatening food security in some parts of the world. His statements also come on the heels of the Jamaican government’s move to ease the burden of rising food prices.
(20 January 2008)
Biofuels, At What Cost? (video)
Energy Policy TV
Arlington, VA – Rear Admiral William R. Burke, Director of the Assessment Division, Office of the Chief of Naval Operations; Glenn Prickett, Senior Vice
President, Conservation International
Prickett discusses how production of biofuel crops has the potential to do more
environmental harm than good due to agricultural practices and how Conservation International works to minimize that damage. He also talks about how forest biodiversity and landuse are only starting to become a topic in the UN climate change
talks.
Related content found at: www.energyconversation.org/cms/
41 min; Part 1 of 2 – 1/14/08.
Part 2
(11 January 2008)
Biofuels: An Alternative to U.S. Air Force Petroleum Fuel Dependency (PDF)
Mark S. Danigole, Lt Col, USAF, Center for Strategy and Technology, Air War College
Abstract:
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the largest energy consumer in the Department of Defense (DoD). Volatile oil prices force the USAF to divert money from training budgets and weapon system procurement accounts in order to cover increased costs due to unbudgeted fuel expenses. In conjunction with the President’s mandate to reduce dependency on foreign procured oil and in an effort to stem unfunded fuel expenses, the USAF established an active alternative energy program focused on increased conservation and the development of new, domestic sources of fuel.
This paper will examine biologically produced fuel alternatives and their ability to meet USAF jet fuel requirements by the year 2025. This paper examines ethanol, terrestrial produced biodiesel, algae oil and biobutanol and each fuel’s ability to meet JP-8 fuel standards while achieving compatibility with USAF aircraft and fuel distribution systems. Finally, the paper concludes with recommendations that support the continued development of biofuel technology to reduce USAF dependency on foreign procured oil.
(1 December 2007)
