Biofuels, Not a Panacea

Michael Layden, FEASTA

In the discussion about Butanol from Biofuels, I wonder are we just falling for a scam funded by the Auto industry. They are fighting any sort of legislation and policy which attacks cars themselves. It is amusing in a sick way seeing GM and Ford happily promoting their Ethanol SUVs as being some sort of Panacea.

Alternative biofuels merely green wash cars and do not tackle the fundamental problem of why we have so many cars and why 90%, 99%, ? of journeys have any real value to our species. To our economy and to the individual  they might have but not in terms of real sustainability . Three neighbours of mine all commute every day to the same office 25 miles away in separate cars. What is the point of discussing the actual EROEI of Biofuels when this is only 33% efficient.

These people weigh about 70 kg and their cars over 1000kg, this straight away means that you are moving a lot of weight for no reason. The engines are designed for top speed and acceleration so are even more over sized. What is the point of discussing biofuels when the cars themselves are so poorly designed. As I like to think what is the efficiency of getting a litre of milk with a machine that weighs 1000kg, i.e .01% ?

All in all it seems very bizarre to discuss biofuels relative energy merits without discussing the 650 million plus metal elephants who each need as much feed as 20-50 people.

Biofuels are a scam and are meant to paper over a glaring wound in society. That wound is haemorrhaging the natural resources of the planets one Mega store, one suburban development, one country retreat, one massive distribution centre, one massive factory at a time. Biofuels make as much sense as arguing the merits of organic heroin instead of oil based drugs.

The US will soon be using more corn for ethanol production than it exports. The German margarine industry is looking for assistance as more vegetable oil goes into cars. Five out of the last six years we apparently used more grain than we grew. So Peak Oil looks like bringing on Peak Food very, very fast.

So the real question is whether to feed a person or feed a car. Strange to relate I know which I favour. Yep, my reliable, battered metal personal transport system. But then I look around at all the people, particularly the kids that  I like, and admire and think that perhaps I'm being selfish.

Nah! I'm only one person and don't use the car much so perhaps nobody will mind if I use 3-4 acres to feed my car.

When I hear people discussing biofuels I feel a real shudder and think of all those poor unfortunates lying in mass graves on the mountain above me from the famine. A time when people really knew the terrible reality of the equation of land's output in grim non-scientific ways. EROEI my eye!

Biofuels will end up taking food out of the mouths of the very poorest members of our species and will help to turn the green revolution into the great black slide to oblivion.