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Topic: Biofuel

Since the idea of biofuel was released to the media; there have been a lot of discussions about

it. As many argue that biofuel will not solve the energy problems of the world, others believe

it will. Although biofuel‟s emission is better for the environment, the production of biofuel

threatens environment and social securities. To support this position, this essay will examine

the social and environmental area.

At first the idea of creating an environment friendly fuel seemed to be fulfilled by biofuel.

Biofuel emission is proven to be safer than other conventional fuel. Scientists calculated that

biofuel have less impact on green house gases than other fuel (VeggieBus n.d.). Normally,

biofuel produce about 65%-140% less greenhouse gases than conventional fuel such as petrol

and diesel (Jalbuena 2010). Also, biodiesel contains 63% less unburnt hydrocarbons (UBHC)

which is a harmful leftover from petrol which caused liver damage and cancer and with

certain blend it can be eliminated completely (Kumar, Varun & Kumar 2010; Saunders

2000). More researches show that biogas from compost has 140% better result than petrol

and diesel (Lund University 2010). By 1998, biodiesel lifecycle study found out that

biodiesel helps to reduce net CO² emissions by 78 percent and it has less polycyclic aromatic

hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrited PAH compounds which is a potential cancer causing

compounds (National Biodiesel Board 2010).

However, with the current technology, production of biofuel makes global warming worse.

New study shows that because the main material of biofuel is crops for example corns and

palm oil, more land is needed to plant them (Inman 2008). When farmers clear natural

ecosystems such as forests or grasslands, smoke which contain carbon dioxide is released

(Inman 2008). Carbon dioxide is the crucial greenhouse gas that stimulates climate change

(Inman 2008). This carbon dioxide released is known as „carbon-debt‟ (Inman 2008). Biofuel
starts off with carbon debt, and the estimation shows that it can only be break-evened in 50

years (Inman 2008). The smallest „carbon-debt‟ is sugarcane and it still takes 17 years to pay-

off, and corn-ethanol takes 93 years (Inman 2008). Land clearing will probably start in

Congo, followed by Brazil, Indonesia, and Malaysia (Inman 2008). In Indonesia it is

predicted that energy companies will clear the remaining peat rainforests in order to meet the

demand resulting 50 billion tons of CO2 and Brazil has selected nearly half a billion acres of

forests, grassland and marshes to be converted to farming (Keim 2007). Biofuel boom in

Brazil could signify ruined Amazon rain forest, world‟s largest “carbon-sink” and the

Cerrado (Brown & Louis 2008; Hearn 2007). Critics say that increasing large-scale

cultivation to grow sugarcane will threaten species diversity, worsen water-quality problems,

and habitat destruction (Hearn 2007). In the production of biofuel, for example, ethanol,

dangerous side-effect substances are created and it is reported that some production facilities

dump this substances in local water sources (Brown & Louis 2008). Moreover, more

production means more fertilizer used (Brown & Louis 2008). National Academy of

Science‟s report predicted that in 2022 Gulf of Mexico‟s “dead zone” - an area so

contaminated by fertilizer waste that no marine life can survive, will increase about 10 to 19

percent (Brown & Louis 2008).

Beside the environmental impact, rising food price due to biofuel has been a great concern as

well. According to Blackman, Samiei and Cheng (2007), production of biofuel strains arable

land and water which may push the food price. Between 2005 and 2007 price of corn jumped

over 60 percent and World Bank‟s studies claimed that it was caused by biofuel‟s production

(redOrbit. 2008). Von Braun admits that there were several reasons for rising food price, but

the main reason was biofuel and according to research from the International Food Policy

Research Institute, 30 percent of rising food price, could be due to biofuel (redOrbit. 2008).

Three senior scientists from CGIAR, an international research group aimed at fighting
hunger, stated if production of biofuel such as ethanol was stopped, the price of corn can be

reduced up to 20 percent and for wheat about 10 percent (redOrbit. 2008). Poor people spend

more in food than in fuel, therefore they are the first victim if food price rise (Blackman,

Samiei & Cheng 2007). Since the food price is increasing, food disturbances has broken out

in 20 poor countries including Yemen, Haiti, Egypt, Pakistan, Indonesia, Ivory Coast, and

Mexico followed by India, Pakistan, and Vietnam imposing food price control and banning

food export (Bailey 2008). In Human Events, Deroy Murdock stated how rising food price

has forced Haitians to eat dirt (Blader 2008). As European Union set a goal that in 2020, 10

percents of transport fuel is biofuel; 100 million tons of grain which can feed 450 million

people a year will be transformed into fuel putting global food stock in the lowest stage

(Bailey 2008). Every nation‟s goal is for its people to eat better in 2050; yet, it seemed that

the world is going backward as it is harder to achieve this goal if food keeps getting turned

into fuel (Bailey 2008).

To conclude, there are number of problem arising from the production of biofuel. Even

though using biofuel is better than any other fuel as the emission is considered more „green‟,

the production of it cause more damages since clearing the land destroy our environment and

rising food price which put poor people in the most disadvantages. If there are no solutions

found for these problems, more problems may arise in the future. Biofuel production should

not be rushed, government should think of solutions for environmental and social problem

before executing the plan to create biofuel as many as possible and starts to control food price

for example more subsidies should be given on food.

Word count: 958 words


References:

Bailey, R 2008, The biggest green mistake, media release, 8 April, reason, viewed 27 October
2010, <http://reason.com/archives/2008/04/08/the-biggest-green-mistake>.

Blader, H 2008, Ethanol subsidies kill forest and people and scar the planet, media release,
22 April, OpenMarket, viewed 27 October 2010,
<http://www.openmarket.org/2008/04/22/ethanol-subsidies-kill-forests-and-people-and-scar-
the-planet/>.

Blackman, VM, Samiei, H, Cheng, K 2007, Biofuel demands pushes up food prices, media
release, 17 October, International Monetary Fund, viewed 27 October 2010,
<http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/survey/so/2007/RES1017A.htm>

Brown, L & Louis, J 2008, „Ethanol‟s failed promise‟, Washington Post, 22 April, viewed 27
October 2010, < http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
dyn/content/article/2008/04/21/AR2008042102555.html>

Hearn, K 2007, Ethanol production could be eco-disaster, Brazil's critics say, media release,
8 February, National Geographic, viewed 27 October 2010,
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2007/02/070208-ethanol.html>.

Inman, M 2008, Clearing land for biofuel makes global warming worse, media release, 7
February, National Geographic, viewed 27 October 2010,
<http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/02/080207-biofuels-carbon.html>.

Jalbuena, KR 2010, Swedish biofuels emit less greenhouse gases than fossil fuels, media
release, 04 October, EcoSeed, viewed 25 October 2010,
<http://www.ecoseed.org/en/biofuel/article/9-biofuel/8126-swedish-biofuels-emit-less-
greenhouse-gases-than-fossil-fuels>.

Keim, B 2007, Can’t see the forest for the biofuel, 16 August, Wired Science, viewed 27
October 2010, <http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2007/08/cant-see-the-fo/>.

Kumar, N, Varun, Kumar, A 2010, „Biodiesel as an alternative fuel for CI engines:


environmental effect‟, Indian Journal of Science and Technology, vol. 3, no. 5, pp. 602-605,
viewed 26 October 2010, <http://www.indjst.org/archive/vol.3.issue.5/may10varun-23.pdf>.

Lund University 2010, Swedish biofuel do have major benefits for the climate, media release,
September 20, ScienceDaily, viewed 26 October 2010, <http://www.sciencedaily.com
/releases/2010/09/100920080457.htm>.
National Biodiesel Board 2010, Biodiesel FAQ, viewed 27 October 2010,
<http://www.biodiesel.org/resources/faqs/>.

redOrbit 2008, Food crisis largely due to biofuel production, media release, 30 April, viewed
27 October 2010,
<http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1364358/food_crisis_largely_due_to_biofuel_produ
ction/>

Saunders 2000, Air Pollution, Creative-Chemistry, viewed 26 October 2010,


<http://www.creative-chemistry.org.uk/gcse/documents/Module6/N-m06-09.pdf>.

VeggieBus n.d., Biodiesel emissions compared to other fuels types, media release, viewed 25
October 2010, <http://veggiebus.com/emissions.html>.

SWW – Sept Express 2010 (IES)

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