Mr. Ether and I, in figuring out ways to reduce our carbon footprint, have been discussing trading in our automobiles for one that can run on biodiesel. There is a biodiesel co-operative right down the street from our house, where they manufacture fuel from waste cooking oil. On a small scale, this seems like a viable and sustainable option.
Truthout has published an op-ed piece that tells a very different story about large-scale reliance on biofuels:
Have you ever tried to solve a problem only to discover that you made things worse in the process? This is happening right now with biofuels. We are on the road to disaster because the problem we are trying to solve has been framed inadequately. Harmful impacts from large-scale biofuel production are largely overlooked. And we aren't even addressing the right problem! The truth can be seen when we frame issues in the context of livability. (More here.)I love the suggestion that we frame issues in the context of livability. Imagine what the world would look like if all decisions were made looking through that lens. It is a different way of articulating the Native American idea that you base decisions on how they will impact seven generations down the road.
Of course, one real answer to living sustainably when it comes to fuel consumption -- the hard one -- is to become less reliant on one's car. There are personal choices that people can make, but it also requires a societal paradigm and infrastructure shift. And the author of this piece argues that if we as Americans simply shift our fuel reliance from fossil fuels to so-called biofuels, that change in infrastructure won't happen.
Very interesting article.
3 comments:
Me, I'm going gas/electric hybrid next time. Maybe a Prius, or the Honda Civic hybrid. No American should be driving anything that gets less than 20 mpg these days, and 25-30 would be better. If the gov't was serious about energy policy (yes, I know they're not), they'd be giving us incentives to buy hybrids, like eliminating all sales taxes on them.
Now, if Honda would make a CR-V hybrid, I'd be REALLY happy.
Have you seen the movie Who Killed the Electric Car? I haven't seen it yet, but my neighbor was telling me about it.
I think there is room for many different options, but people really need to drive less too. We need good clean fast mass transit, for example.
The beauty of biodiesel made from waste vegetable oil is that it is made from waste products and can be pumped right in to an existing diesel powered vehicle. Fom what I've read, you get 3 units of energy for every 1 unit you use to manufacture it. That's pretty darn good. Diesels also typically get better gas mileage and, overall, produce fewer pollutants than gasoline powered cars. Ethanol, alledgedly, has a 1 to 1 ratio which makes me wonder who benefits from the production of ethanol. Let's see, oil producers would still sell just as much oil, since it's needed for the production of ethanol, and agribusiness will be able to bump up the price of corn. Hmm, I wonder why Bush is pushing ethanol? Electric cars, on the other hand, use energy to create the electricity that they run on. Basically, you're just exporting your pollution to wherever the energy is produced. Great for LA or any other smoggy metropolis, not so good for anyone else. I believe they also use more energy than a petroleum powered vehicle. The same is more or less true for hybrids. Studies I've read about claim that, when you look at the big picture (energy required to manufacture a new car, waste products created, etc,) it is more ecologically sound to keep an old car running than to buy a new hybrid. Regardless of the economics of production, they all produce emissions. We still need to drive less.
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