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id21
viewpoints
Biofuels,
climate change and GM crops – who is really benefiting?
Rod
Harbinson, head of
the Environment Programme at Panos London, looks at some of the controversy
regarding genetically-engineered biofuels, and their suggested role
in fighting climate change.
Governments,
oil companies and agribusinesses all support biofuels as a way to combat
climate change. Genetic engineering plays an increasing role in biofuel
production. Can replacing fossil fuels with biofuels reduce carbon emissions?
Biofuels are renewable fuels
produced from crops or biomass, including crops grown specifically for
converting into fuel. Political leaders and businesses increasingly
suggest biofuels as an alternative to declining fossil fuel reserves.
One attraction is that they can reduce a country’s dependence on imported
fuel supplies, an increasingly important political issue.
Several countries invest
in biofuels:
- Brazil leads the world in domestic biofuel production, mostly from
sugar cane.
- Small-scale production helps small communities to raise an income
and meet their fuel needs, for example in Peru.
- The European Union target for biofuels in the transport sector is
5.7 percent by 2010. In March 2007, the European Council agreed a binding
minimum level for biofuels of 10 percent of vehicle fuel by 2020.
- The USA has recently built more than 50 ethanol refineries to meet
its target of producing 5 billion gallons of biofuel each year by 2012.
Ambitious targets in rich countries have placed demands on developing
countries to provide crops for biofuel, especially maize. It is not clear
whether developing countries can benefit from large-scale biofuel production
because growing crops for biofuel can take up water and land currently
used for domestic food production. Reduced exports of crops from rich
countries can also hit poor people; in 2007, there were demonstrations
in Mexico about the rising price of maize from biofuel demand.
Some governments support
biofuels to meet targets to reduce carbon emissions. However, biofuels
have limitations as a source of ‘clean’ energy. Many have low or negative
carbon savings, because growing crops and the process of converting
them into fuel is energy-intensive, often relying on fossil fuels. Clearing
land for biofuel crops also affects natural ecosystems, particularly
tropical rainforests. In the Amazon, clearing forest for biofuel crops
releases more carbon into the atmosphere than the biofuels save.
Research into biofuels based
on cellulose from trees or crop wastes uses genetically modified (GM)
bacteria and enzymes to break down plant waste and convert it to biofuels.
Other GM research seeks biofuel crops which grow faster. High-yield
GM biofuels crops also require large land areas, putting pressure on
natural vegetation or displacing food crops. Shared concerns, as with
food crops, include the impact of GM organisms on human health and the
environment, such as the risk of genetic pollution.
Biofuels are attracting
increasing attention and investment as an alternative to fossil- based
fuels. Before trying to meet global fuel demands and increase trade
in developing countries, governments in each country must answer some
important questions:
- Will the biofuel industry in developing countries support local
energy needs, or just meet the demands of richer nations?
- Will biofuel crops displace domestic food production?
- Are there laws and controls in place to track any GM organisms used
to produce biofuels?
- Has there been any public discussion about GM crops, and which issues
do people consider most important?
- What limits are there to ensure that expanding the area of cultivated
land does not damage natural ecosystems?
Rod
Harbinson
Further
Information
Environment
Programme
Panos London
9 White Lion Street
London, N1 9PD
UK
Panos London, UK
Email: environment@panos.org.uk
See
also
Fuelling
controversy – can biofuels slow the speed of climate change?
Panos Media Toolkit on Climate Change – No. 1, by Rod Harbinson, 2006
Useful
links
id21 viewpoint: Tree
plantations and climate change - avoiding responsibility in Ecuador
id21 viewpoint: Litigating
for climate justice
id21 insights 53:
Securing
development in the face of climate change
id21 insights 52:
Debating
GM crops
April
2007
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