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Science debunks biofuel myth »

Posted by: AnteUp 1 year, 10 months ago

Cornell University's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences professor, David Pimentel explains why it won't solve the problem. Why haven't we heard that biofuels will be bad for us - the earth AND they are going to cost WAY too much?

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AnteUp

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A local reporter was scouring the neighborhood for the local's opinion
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Comments: 17
  • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)AnteUp
    AnteUp
    Feb. 24, 2008, 2:42 p.m.

    Why are Democrats and Republicans alike,talking about biofuels as if they were going to solve our energy/environmental problems?

    If this article is accurate, it will increase our energy costs - damage the land, AND further pollute our waterways.

    Someone with more science savvy than me - What's up?

    • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)berkeley
      berkeley
      Feb. 24, 2008, 3:22 p.m.

      biofuels have become simply another corporate money grab.

      george monbiot and others have covered this for some time.

      http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/06/wors...

      • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)Shadowolf
        Shadowolf
        Feb. 24, 2008, 5:50 p.m.

        I like mushrooms;(I am after all,Bohemian!!!) but I'm not ready to become one!!!

        • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)Shadowolf
          Shadowolf
          Feb. 24, 2008, 7:38 p.m.

          ...I produce my own gas...just enough to get my bike up these hills...

          • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)tehranchik
            tehranchik
            Feb. 24, 2008, 10:58 p.m.

            This is just another faulty alternative like the lightbulbs and coal.

            Agribusiness is not an industry to support.

            • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)ETproductions
              ETproductions
              Feb. 25, 2008, 1:46 a.m.

              It's good to ask questions, but this article overstates many of the negatives and ignores flaws with business as usual. Yes, it takes a lot of energy to produce a gallon of biofuel, but it also takes a lot to produce a gallon of gasoline. Gasoline is actually a net energy negative. It takes more energy to produce and deliver a gallon of gas here than there is in it.

              Corn is a poor crop to use for biofuel. This is one place where the article is spot on. The US agribusiness sold us a bill of goods because they were already set up to produce corn. But sugar cane and switchgrass yield more energy and work better to establish a closed loop system running off its own materials for energy input and for compost.

              Brazil certainly proves that biofuel can be a small part of a comprehensive green energy answer. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel_in_Brazil

              • Avg rating: (+0/-0 0)bluetexasvalley
                bluetexasvalley
                Feb. 26, 2008, 10:20 p.m.

                Guess I'll stick with my Prius until it all gets sorted out. ;-)

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