A new study suggests that even though corn and soy-based biofuels emit less carbon dioxide than petroleum fuels, they are actually more harmful to the environment in the long run. The debate over the benefits of biofuels versus petroleum fuels may finally be over.
How Can Biofuels be More Harmful to the Environment?
For years, most comparative studies related to biofuels have primarily focused on how much carbon dioxide is emitted from burning both bio and petroleum-based fuels. In these studies biofuels are the clear winner each time, producing much less carbon dioxide than its “evil” counterpart, petroleum gasoline. These studies, however, didn't take into account how efficiently the carbon dioxide from both fuels is removed from the air (think forest land and corn fields). These studies also did not account for the tradeoff that occurred with the vast destruction of forestland for the new farms that were necessary to grow more corn for the biofuels.
Think back to your high school biology class for a moment. Plant life in general absorbs the carbon dioxide emitted from the burning of fuels and transforms it into oxygen. 40 percent of all corn produced in the United States currently goes for the production of biofuels. In order to make up for 40 percent less corn going for food production, farmers are now having to cultivate land that was previously forested. In other words, more land is now required to produce enough corn to satisfy both biofuel production and the food supply. This stripping of the land results in fewer trees to absorb the carbon dioxide that is produced from the burning of fuels – biofuel or gasoline.
Are Forests or Cornfields Better for Scrubbing Carbon Dioxide from the Atmosphere?
Our natural forests do a much better job of turning carbon dioxide into oxygen than all of the new cornfields that have been created to offset the loss of corn produced for food markets. The destruction of forestland to create additional farmland for food crops will have a detrimental affect on the environment for decades. If we continue using biofuels at our current rate, or if our government mandates increased production of biofuels, then we will see an even greater rate of deforestation and continual negative environmental impacts.
Many people have this idea that biofuels are carbon neutral. This is completely false. Biofuels release just as much carbon dioxide as petroleum-based fuels. The reason biofuel production and usage increased so much was primarily due to government mandates which forced refineries to add them to gasoline. Originally, it was believed that biofuels would help offset the price of gasoline. Limiting the amount of ethanol to only 10% of the gasoline blend may have eased some of the pain at the pump, but it has had no real environmental benefit. The opposite, in fact, is probably true. The forced inclusion of ethanol in gasoline by the government has almost certainly caused more damage then it did good.