SUSTAINABILITY ISSUES
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| http://www.rodomotion.com/2010/08/20/52/ |
When we are dealing with sustainability there are three common areas that to be discussed namely social, economic and environmental. The diagram above clearly represents the three parts of sustainability, with a brief description of each. Also observe how they overlap and depend on each other to some extent. Sustainability is actually a complex issue hidden by its apparent simplicity.
SOCIAL & ECONOMIC ISSUES
The industrial revolution in UK and USA and rest of the world has changed our social structure and standards of living for the better(mostly). The changing of energy source has a great impact on people’s lives and social behaviour. For example during the industrial revolution, coal was the primary fuel used to provide towngas to power street lights and power most of modes of transport. There is a historic relationship between coal mining and the development of industrialized countries today.
Non-industrialised countries however does not have this progressive stages as they jumped into relatively cheap oil being available in the 1950s which also happens to be the same time many countries obtained independence from colonialism. The world has since moved on from coal to petroleum based fuels which may not be much cleaner but it has made cheap fuel available to the average car owner leading to great changes in lifestyle[1].
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| Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) |
The production of biofuels could unintentionally lead to negative environmental and social impacts. Potential competition with food crops may lead to increased commodity prices and increased demand for land may lead directly to deforestation to make way for new plantations. Biofuel production are also associated with social concerns such as labour rights, land conflicts and health concerns related to improper use of agrochemicals. Looking on the bright side of it, biofuel demand can create local economic benefits and bring about employment opportunities[2].
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
Agriculture & Forestry
Production of biomass to be used to convert to energy is closely related with wider policies and practices for agriculture and forestry. The main consideration with such use is to make sure it is ecologically sustainable. It has to be renewable source of energy which means areas cleared to be used must be regrown later on. Biomass production for energy must not be at the expense of growing enough food to feed the world population which is only ethical[3].
We also have European Union and the USA facing problems with agriculture such as over-production of food, which is actively, encouraged by agriculture 1 subsidies. Such subsidies increase general taxes and the resulting surpluses affect world trade to the advantage of developing countries. In order to solve this problem, the European Union set aside land to maintain it unproductively or for growing biomass for energy. Such policies uphold the social benefits of an economically active rural population while at the same time bring environmental benefits by substituting biofuels for fossil fuels.
A major byproduct of agriculture and forestry is the waste biomass that is just thrown away but second generation biofuel technology can be used to convert these waste cellulosic biomass into useful bioethanol. The undesirable outputs of agriculture such as manure from intensive piggeries or farm animals can be biodigested to produce syngas bringing economic and environmental benefits for the rural population. Successful biofuel production facilities can utilize concentrated flows of biomass such as sawdust from sawmilling, straw from crops, and manure from penned animals and sewage from municipal works.
Developments in energy conversion from local crops are most likely going to be socially acceptable at the same time biomass used to replace fossil fuel use will bring about greenhouse gas benefits. Therefore it is desirable to achieve sustainable agriculture and forestry[4]. However greenhouse gas benefits of biofuel will depend on the system of cultivation, processing and transportation of feedstock.
Pollution
Biofuels fall under the renewable energy category as it is extracted from the flow of energy which already exists in the environment. The energy is then returned to the environment as it burns very efficiently producing nothing more than carbon dioxide and water. Minimum amount of air, water, thermal pollution may occur from material and chemical aspects but it is still in favour over fossil and nuclear fuels[5].
OTHER RELATED ISSUES
Food vs. Fuel debate
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| This is very appropriate |
The main problem associated with first generation biofuel technology is the usage of food crops for the production of biofuels. It can be seen from history that liquid biofuels have been based on biomass obtained from grain, sugar and oil crops which are all important food crops, generally grown on the most fertile agricultural land available[6].
World population increases every year which means more food has to be produced to feed the increased population, those displaced by wars and those are just too poor to feed themselves. It is ironic because in European countries and the USA every year there are crop production surpluses going to waste while in some developing countries where people are starving, crops are exported out to developed countries for revenue. This is slightly out of topic and I am not trying to defend biofuel production but the reason why there is still a proportion of the world population starving everyday is because food is not efficiently distributed around the world.
However increasing worldwide demand for food indicates that these crops should not be diverted significantly for energy production, as we need to set our priorities right which is to eradicate world hunger. In order for biofuel production to be a major contributor to world energy supplies, the feedstock and land cannot be related to food. For example there is a need to push for a cheaper, more energy efficient process for producing bioethanol from easily available lignocellulosic materials such as corn stalks, straw, wood, sawdust and other woody residues rather than from food crops[7]. This will be widely accepted by everyone including the most cynical critique of biofuels.
Support for Biofuels
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| Bioethanol from corn...literally |
There needs to be support from the public and governments of the world to bring biofuels to a whole new level and to reduce usage of fossil fuels. Biofuels industry has the potential to create over a million jobs in the US alone and add over $50 billion to the economy each year[8]. Governments can encourage the use of biofuels by having smaller tax on biofuels than on fossil fuels. This will not be useful if the amount of biofuel blended in the total fuel mix is small unless there is a mandatory requirement for all transport fuels to be sold with a certain percentage of biofuel. Policy changes towards biofuels should be encouraged such as introducing subsidies to producers of biofuel as part of the general agricultural subsidies[9].
CONCLUSION
The only constant in this world is change and the influence of modern science and technology will always ensure to older technology. It is hard to predict the long term effects of changing our energy supply but the sustainable nature of biofuels should be a great boon for the world in providing a better socio-economic stability[10]. The only way out of the current situation is to move forward and embrace biofuels technology.
[2] Department of Transport – Carbon and Sustainability reporting within the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation, Jan 2008 Section 2: Biofuels and the Environment pp 18. http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roads/environment/rtfo/govrecrfa.pdf
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