Biofuels not the answer, says university study
Growing biofuel crops to make eco-friendly car fuel could prove more harmful to the environment than previously thought, UK researchers warn. Writing in this month's edition of Science, researchers at the University of Leeds and the World Lands Trust, UK, present the results of the first comprehensive analysis of emissions from biofuels. According to the scientists, increasing the production of biofuels to combat climate change would release up to nine times more carbon dioxide over the next 30 years than released by fossil fuels. Biofuels, made from fuel extracted from plants, are painted as the environmentally friendly alternative to fossil fuels. One of the arguments in their favour is that crops grown for the fuel absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow. This argument could however be misleading, according to the scientists. The study cautions against clearing forests to make way for the cultivation of biofuel crops, since cutting down trees produces an immediate release of carbon gases into the atmosphere, accompanied by a loss of habitats and wildlife. EU Member States have pledged to replace 10% of transport fuel with biofuel crops by 2020, to slash carbon dioxide emissions and to reduce reliance on oil. Meeting this target would require finding an area larger than one third of all the agricultural land in Europe for growing biofuel crops. 'This study shows that if your primary concern is reducing carbon dioxide emissions, growing biofuels is not the best way to do it,' says study co-author Dominick Spracklen from the University of Leeds. 'In fact it can have a perverse impact elsewhere in the world. The amount of carbon that is released when you clear forests to make way for the biofuel crop is much more than the amount you get back from growing biofuels over a 30-year period.' The study is the first to calculate the impact of biofuel carbon emissions across the whole cycle of planting, extraction and conversion into fuel. The team then went on to compare the amount of carbon dioxide emissions that would be saved from entering the atmosphere by growing biofuels with the amount saved from slowing deforestation and restoring forests over a 30-year period. The study also found that converting large areas of land back to forest provides other environmental benefits, such as preventing desertification and regional climate regulation. The scientists recommend conserving existing forests and savannahs and restoring forests and grasslands as a more effective way of saving the planet. 'There is a big push in the EU and US to promote biofuels as a way to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. What we do here has an impact on the rest of the world. Although biofuels may look a good idea in places like Europe, they have a perverse effect when you take into consideration the rest of the world,' says Dr Spracklen.
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