Good short piece by Jamais Cascio on "the biofuel dilemma:"
Biofuels such as biodiesel may prove to be a useful transition technology for the move away from fossil fuels and into the Bright Green world.... But attractive as they are, biofuels pose some sticky problems. Fortunately, a solution may be at hand.
[On one hand, biofuels] can replace fossil fuel uses without requiring significant modification of machinery. Since they are generally derived from vegetation, they're close to carbon-neutral (as the next crop of plants will take up the carbon dioxide released from burning the previous biofuel crops).... But biofuels have some notable drawbacks, too. Making biofuels from plants already in demand for food, such as soy, corn and canola/rapeseed, raises the prices of the food versions and reduces available supplies. And increased demand for biofuels is triggering the expansion of agricultural land, with devastating results in some areas.
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