How Green is Green -Biofuel use 'increasing poverty'

[ShadySadie]

The replacement of traditional fuels with biofuels has dragged more than 30 million people worldwide into poverty, an aid agency report says.

Oxfam says so-called green policies in developed countries are contributing to the world's soaring food prices, which hit the poor hardest.

The group also says biofuels will do nothing to combat climate change.

Its report urges the EU to scrap a target of making 10% of all transport run on renewable resources by 2020.

Oxfam estimates the EU's target could multiply carbon emissions 70-fold by 2020 by changing the use of land.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7472532.stmhttp://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7435439.stm

for the bigger picture.

Driving motorists off the roads will bring more poverty to the UK nd family life and business will suffer.

Surely it is time for caravanning and motoring organisations such as the AA and RAC to fight against the government war against motorists.

As the German town of Bohmte gets a EU grant to follow the success of Drachten in Holland where road signs and traffic ligts were removed along with many road markings that resulted in better road safety. Here in the UK are paying in to the EU and having miliilons wasted on road signs markings and a speed cameras that do nothing for safety.

 

[weejock]

This is another example of a good idea gone bad.

Bio fuels can be very enviro freindly if they are made from waste by product. It is this ludicrous idea to set targets that has resulted in "food" land being used for fuel production.

There is however an arguement for bio fuel production that I am not entirely unsympathetic to and that is the need for Europe to be a bit more energy self suffcient.

 

[ProfJohnL]

I hadn't given the impact of Bio Fuels much thought until this posting by Sadie.

I think we are getting mixed messages here, There are two problems, and whilst there is some linkage, the press and government have been slow in clarifying the differences or being cynical, perhaps government are deliberately misleading us so they can play on our ignorance and charges us more so called green taxes.

The two fundamental issues here are the finite and dwindling supplies of fossil fuels (Mainly crude oil) and climate change.

Bio fuels will help to offset the loss of oil reserves, and whilst they are seen as a renewable source, such large amounts will be in use, the carbon emissions are actually in the atmosphere, rather than in the soil or plants. As it is the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere that is supposedly driving global warming the use of bio fuels is not going to radically change that aspect of the problem.

As Sadie points out the push towards Bio fuels is taking more land out of food production. Sadly its down to a combination of economics and government policies. That makes Bio fuel production a more attractive prospect for growers around the world. It is also going to lead to further destruction of the equatorial rain forests as demand is jacked up, and more land needs to be allocated to Bio Production.

So Bio fuel is not going to make any significant inroads to the carbon emissions, so equally it won't help climate change.

The only way we are going to reduce CO2 emissions is to use less fuel. Not just for transport but for all uses where high grade heat or power is used.