biofuels, other aspects

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/04/060423191907.htm

There is increasing interest in biofuels, created from organic matter.
There was a discussion of them on NPR this morning, which was interesting, but showed the usefulness of having a variety of inputs. The report was totally positive. I do think it is a largely positive development. But there are other aspects. NPR referred to the remains of crops in fields that would otherwise be burned or left to rot. Well, if they were going to be burned, going directly to greenhouse gas and particular air pollution, converting them to biofuels would certainly be a positive thing. But people who are into gardening or farming could have pointed out that when organic matter rots, in returns nutrients to the soil that have been taken out, enriching it, and improving the quality. In fact, this is how topsoil is created. We are losing large amount of topsoil every year. The program stated that burning biofuels would not affect the amount of greenhouse gases, that it would simply be returning to the atmosphere material (mostly carbon dioxide) that had recently been removed by plants using the energy of the sun. However, if left to decay naturally, much of the carbon would be taken up by new plant growth, and so not get into the air right away. Also, a certain amount would remain in the soil for some amount of time. Since most of the carbon might end up eventually as carbon dioxide in an agricultural setting, then to the extent that biofuels replace a like amount of fossil fuels, we would still have a some increase in greenhouse gases, but perhaps much less than relying solely on fossil fuels.

Another aspect is shown by the discovery a few months ago of a new mammal species. Scientists are concerned that it may become extinct before they can study it because the jungle is being cut down to plant palm trees from which to harvest oil to make biofuel. It would be unfortunate if in an effort to help the environment in one way by switching to biofuels, we hurt it in another way by encouraging the cutting down of forests and jungles.

We could cut back on our use fuel immediately with little effort. For example, we can turn off lights when we are not using them. I turn off the lights at my desk, as well as a nearby conference room and two printer rooms before I go home from work. We can keep our speed down and avoid quick starts and stops. We can buy fuel efficient cars, and energy efficient appliances. We can turn off the water while brushing our teeth. Etc. With 300 million people in the U.S., small actions add up.