Guest guest Posted August 25, 2006 Report Share Posted August 25, 2006 > > *www.foodnews.ca > > Editor's Note: Last week Foodnews **sent a posting > <http://www.newstatesman.com/200608070031>** > <http://www.newstatesman.com/200608070031>on the > subject of biofuels > (Aug. 15 Is there any prospect for biofuels in a > sustainable and > food-secure world?), pointing to the controversies > surrounding the > subject and asking readers for their thoughts. Below > are two responses. > Kenji Fuse suggests that deforestation for biofuels > doesn't necessarily > represent the threat suggested by Mark Lynas, author > of the article > posted last week. Furthermore, that biofuels require > more energy to > produce than they yield is contrary to many research > findings. > > A second reader sent an excerpt from on on-line > discussion on biofuels. > The excerpt asks us to consider our choices: Many > people already don't > have enough to eat. Can we live with ourselves if we > deny more people > this right in order to fuel vehicles? > > The debate continues. As always, reader opinions are > welcome: > foodnews. > > 1) > *While the current assault on control of the global > biofuels market by > oil and agri-business giants such as BP and Archer > Daniels Midland is > indeed disturbing and dangerous, and should be > publicly investigated and > debated, Mr. Lynas nevertheless makes some technical > errors in his > article " Frankenstein Fuels " . > > The burning deforestation occurring in Borneo, while > an ecological > tragedy, may not represent the threat to global > warming that Mr. Lynas > implies. If crops of a similar photosynthesis rate > are planted, such as > palm trees, the released carbon dioxide from the > fires could arguably be > 'carbon-neutral', if not 'carbon positive'. The > issue of air quality > pollution is another matter altogether. > > More unsettling to Mr. Lynas' argument, however, is > his use of a report > by David Pimentel to try and debunk the established > fact that biodiesel > has a very high net energy balance. A 'net energy > balance' figure > indicates how much energy you get out of a fuel > after you quantify how > much energy you put in to produce it. Most credible > sources indicate > biodiesel has one of the highest net energy > balance's of any fuel, at > 3.2 units energy output per every unit put in. This > figure is even > higher for micro-brewers like myself who use > recycled vegetable oil. > > William H. Kemp, in his book " Biodiesel: Basics and > Beyond " (Aztext > Press, 2006) provides a glimpse into Mr. Pimentel's > 'research': > > " Pimentel stirred a considerable amount of public > controversy with the > release of his 11-page report published in Natural > Resources Research > (Vol. 14:1, pp. 65-76) which concludes that > soybean-based biodiesel has > a negative energy balance, with energy input 27% > higher than its energy > output. International media love controversy and > brief, simplistic > contrary news items, thus providing Pimentel with a > Warholian window of > opportunities to cast doubt on the entire biofuel > sector. > > His comments are completely at odds with the > numerous studies that have > found the opposite to be true. Dr. Robert McCormick > of the U.S. > Department of Energy states that " the > Pimentel/Patzak study uses > outdated information on agricultural practices as > well as unrealistic > and unsubstantiated assumptions regarding energy > inputs. At least eight > other peer-reviewed studies have been conducted over > the past 12 years > and find exactly the opposite, that biodiesel has a > highly positive > energy balance. " > > The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the U.S. > Department of > Agriculture(USDA) in 1998 completed a thorough study > of the energy > balance of biodiesel and found that for every unit > of fossil energy used > in the entire biodiesel production cycle, 3.2 units > of energy were > delivered when the fuel was consumed. > > Given that Pimentel's co-author, Ted Patzek, is a > former oil company > employee and is now a director of the University of > California Oil > Consortium, is it possible that the findings in the > report could be skewed? " > > While it is commendable that Mr. Lynas is obviously > trying to practice > good investigative journalism, he does his readers a > disservice by using > such poor and questionable sources, at least without > citing more > rigorous, peer-reviewed, non-petroleum-biased > alternatives. > > Finally, it is disappointing that Lynas does not > mention the fact that > biodiesel can become a locally produced and > controlled fuel source, > embodying the values of a micro-scale, low-impact > and localized energy > philosophy. > > Sincerely, > > Kenji Fuse > Director, Island Biodiesel Co-op > * > 2) > *From runningonempty2/ > Wed Aug 16, 2006 9:48 pm (PST) > > <snip> > The world is already arranged so that a number of > populations are > starving. A rise in grain prices means, in general, > that lots more > people will starve. > > Of course, in a world where human populations > reproduce to the edge of > starvation it cannot be otherwise when the supply is > unsteady. A good > Malthusan argument could be made that burning food > now instead of > feeding it to people will ultimately minimize > starvation. > > But let's at least be honest with ourselves. We are > already - as a > culture - turning people away; the fact that we're > doing it to drive > heavier cars in unnecessary ways just increases the > banality. > > So the issue isn't really whether we believe in > feeding the confused, > the starving, the needy. It's whether we're willing > to look them in the > eye when we turn them away. > > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > WHO WE ARE: This e-mail service shares information > to help more people > discuss crucial policy issues affecting global food > security. > The service is managed by Amber McNair of the > University of Toronto > in partnership with the Centre for Urban Health > Initiatives (CUHI) and > Wayne Roberts of the Toronto Food Policy Council, in > partnership with > the Community Food Security Coalition, World Hunger > Year, and > International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture. > > Please help by sending information or names and > e-mail addresses of > co-workers who'd like to receive this service, to > foodnews. To or , please > visit http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/food-news. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > > > > -- > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > WHO WE ARE: This e-mail service shares information > to help more people > discuss crucial policy issues affecting global food > security. > The service is managed by Amber McNair of the > University of Toronto > in partnership with the Centre for Urban Health > Initiatives (CUHI) and > Wayne Roberts of the Toronto Food Policy Council, in > partnership with > the Community Food Security Coalition, World Hunger > Year, and > International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture. > > Please help by sending information or names and > e-mail addresses of > co-workers who'd like to receive this service, to > foodnews. To or , please > visit http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/food-news. > ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ > _____________ food-news mailing list food-news http://list.web.net/lists/listinfo/food-news Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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