Tags:
Journalism of Courage
8226;What are biofuels?
Biofuels are fuels derived from plant forms and are less polluting compared to fossil fuels 8212; petrol and diesel. Ethanol, the most common biofuel, is produced from agricultural crops 8212; primarily, sugarcane and corn. Both fossil fuels and ethanol emit CO2 as an inevitable consequence of the combustion process. But the crucial difference is that unlike diesel, ethanol is CO2 neutral, which means that it releases only that amount of CO2 that its plant form, say corn, had removed from the atmosphere during photosynthesis.
Also, since fossil fuels are depleting and prices soaring 8212; oil costs 120 a barrel 8212; biofuels are seen as the 8220;green alternative8221;. With climate change a big worry, several countries, the EU, US, Brazil etc, have set targets to increase biofuel use.
8226;Why are biofuels being blamed for everything from rising prices and food riots to the destruction of rainforests?
Once upon a time, food was only eaten; it didn8217;t end up in the fuel tank of cars. Then, countries like the US and those in the EU announced new policies to promote biofuels. They started to give subsidies to farmers who grew corn for ethanol. This prompted farmers who grew other food crops to switch to corn. According to the World Bank, global maize production increased by 51 million tonnes between 2004 and 2007. Good news? Hardly. Cars in the US used up all this extra corn 8212; during the same time, biofuel use in the US alone rose by 50 million tonne. Critics say biofuels can8217;t be promoted when global grain stockpiles are depleting and millions starving. Last week, British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said the European Union may have to back off its goal of having ethanol account for 20 per cent of the motor vehicle fuel burned on Europe8217;s roads by 2020.
8226;So what is the option? Go back to fossil fuels?
That8217;s not a great option either considering oil reserves are depleting fast. As millions of people 8212; especially in India and China 8212; move out of poverty, there will be more vehicles on the roads. The Tata Nano could come for Rs 1 lakh but the petrol that drives it won8217;t come cheap. When places like Abu Dhabi, an emirate in oil-rich UAE, think of green alternatives, it is time to think of life after fossil fuels.
As Roger Cohen argued in the New York Times, biofuels 8220;remain very much the part of the solution8221;. It8217;s just that the developed world has distorted the biofuel market with its subsidies and trade barriers. For instance, Brazil has a successful sugarcane-based ethanol industry 8212; 80 per cent of new cars run on ethanol or gasoline that has 25 per cent biofuel. But the US keeps this Brazilian ethanol 8212; the yield is eight times higher than US corn ethanol 8212; out of its markets by imposing a tariff of 54 cents on a gallon while subsidising its corn ethanol. So biofuel really isn8217;t the villain as much as faulty protectionism and skewed subsidies are.
8226;What is India8217;s biofuel policy?
India doesn8217;t have a biofuel policy yet. But the government has been carrying out experiments and pilot projects to study the viability of biodiesel. Oil from jatropa is also an option for India but it8217;s still in the early stages. Since we are a nation with a sweet tooth, we consume almost all the sugar we manufacture-so sugarcane-based ethanol is ruled out too.
