Enthusiastically, politics and business embraced so–called biofuels promising energy independence and carbon neutrality. But while fuel is getting green, land for food is getting scarce.
While burning wood to heat or cook is one of the least efficient ways to use bioenergy, it remains the most important energy source for some three billion people. But there are better ways to use biomass.
Biofuels can be produced from a number of crops and plants. Corn, rapeseed, palm oil, sugar cane, and jatropha are among the top five. But how efficient and sustainable are they?
OECD-Interview: Don’t Expect Too Much from Biofuels
The OECD and FAO warned against rising food prices because of growing demand for biofuel crops. Brice Lalonde, former French environment minister and chairman of the Roundtable on Sustainable Development at OECD, weighs the pros and cons of mass producing biofuels.
Germany wants to reduce dependence on coal, oil, and nuclear power, but renewable energy is limited in many parts of the country. Many farmers are discovering biogas as an alternative.
