Most fuel crops, such as sugar cane, have problems similar to corn. Because Brazil relied heavily on imported oil for transportation, but can attain
high yields from crops in their tropical climate, the government developed the largest fuel ethanol program in the world in the 1990s based on sugar
cane and soybeans.
Unfortunately, Brazil is clear-cutting almost a million acres of tropical forest per year to produce biofuel from these crops, and shipping much of
the fuel all the way to Europe. The net effect is about 50% more carbon emitted by using these biofuels than using petroleum fuels (Eric
Holt-Giménez, The Politics of Food). These unintended effects are why energy policy and development must proceed holistically, considering all
effects on global environments and economies. |