Food vs. Fuel

License this soybean pod photo at Alamy.


The global food supply crisis is causing many countries to rethink the biofuel mandates. Crop production for bio-fuel means reductions in grain and soy growing, which (along with market speculation) leads to an increase in prices.
New attention is being given to affordable grains versus the need for renewable energy from biofuels.

Cost of air travel

License this Aircraft parked at gate photo at PhotoShelter.


Greenhouse gas emissions from international air travel are not restricted under the Kyoto Protocol. Yet air travel is a large carbon dioxide producer.

Terrapass is one of the carbon offset companies funding clean energy and other projects designed to decrease carbon emissions in other industries. It funds projects throughout the U.S., including wind farms, biomass energy, and electricity from animal and plant material.

Record prices for gasoline

License this Refueling auto photo at Alamy.

Crude-oil inventories, growing demand and refinery capacity are driving the market. Refineries always perform maintenance in the spring which is compounding the problem .

Biofuel

License this oil well pump jack photo at PhotoShelter.

We have hit a few bumps during the race for alternatives to fossil fuels. First generation biofuels have limitations including threatening food supplies and biodiversity.





License this soybean photo at PhotoShelter.

Lifecycle analysis of the production of ethanol from corn and biodiesel from soy shows only modest net energy gains when you subtract the energy costs of fuel production, pesticide use, transportation, and by-products that remain.

Second generation biofuels are being developed to attempt a transition to producing more sustainable feedstocks. Cellulosic ethanol made from grasses like switchgrass, prairie grasses, or Sugarcane bagasse waste is emerging as the favorite to overcome the environmental and economic challenges.