“Using a worldwide agricultural model to estimate emissions from land use change, we found that corn-based ethanol, instead of producing a 20% savings, nearly doubles greenhouse emissions over 30 years and increases greenhouse gases for 167 years. Biofuels from switchgrass, if grown on U.S. corn lands, increase emissions by 50%. This result raises concerns about large biofuel mandates and highlights the value of using waste products.” – Use of U.S. Croplands for Biofuels Increases Greenhouse Gases Through Emissions from Land Use Change (SCIENCE)

story at: http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/abstract/1151861

The problem is growing land crops to make biofuels. Switchgrass will be almost as bad as corn or rapeseed. General Motor’s idea of making ethanol from garbage is great if it works, but it is still unproven. There is some future hope for biodiesel made from algae, but that is still in the science speculation stage.

As making biodiesel out of rapeseed or soybean oil costs the same as making regular diesel fuel out of crude oil that costs between $209.US rapeseed) and $232.US(soybean oil) a barrel, the idea that we are achieving “energy independence” through biofuels is ridiculous. Politicians have jumped on the biofuel bandwagon because they want the farm vote, and biofuels sound wholesome superficially, even though biofuels are creating global food price hyperinflation, up 40% in 2007 alone, causing water shortages due to water lost to irrigation, and unleashing many times more greenhouse gases than using Alaskan or Saudi crude oil.

Please see – “The biofuel hoax is causing a world food crisis!” at:

http://home.att.net/~meditation/bio-fuel-hoax.html