The Pros And Cons Of Biofuels

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Energy usage and cost is a concern that is been and continues to be addressed globally. Many issues arise from the use of energy: greenhouse gas emissions, acid rain, climate change, dependency on depleting supplies of fossil fuels, which is especially important in areas of the world where political instability sustains. (GENI) Researchers and companies alike have sought out alternate methods of energy, one such being biofuels. Biofuels has been a progressive research that has been conducted for the sole purpose of being proven a viable alternative to many of the fuels consumers and corporate conglomerates use today. One such company that is assiduously researching this application would be the Kent BioEnergy Corporation. The USDA is also actively …show more content…

Individual researchers and corporations alike have been seeking out alternatives to the inordinate emission of greenhouse gases, which are harmful to the environment in a plethora of ways. Greenhouse gases that are “generated through human behavior are problematic because they alter Earth’s natural systems.” These problematic ‘GHGs’, as they are diminutively known, include, but are not limited to, methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide. (Johnson) The result of the amalgamation of greenhouse gases within the atmosphere is what is commonly referred to as global warming, which is a description of the gradual warming up of the Earth’s average temperature. Due to this thermal progression the ice, located at the Earth’s poles, creates a change in sea level. It also foments climate change. (Johnson) Employing habitual use of biofuels as an alternative would decrease the probability of instigating climate change, which invariably includes flooding, hotter heat waves, stronger hurricanes and more droughts. …show more content…

The issue with biofuels is that it requires a large amount of crops to produce, so more land, globally, is used to cultivate crops for fuel as opposed for food. One notable statistic that is used to dissuade widespread usage of biofuels is that “it takes the same amount of grain to produce enough biofuel to fill a UK family’s car one time as it does to feed a child for nearly seven months.” (England) Seeing as how it is more lucrative for farmers to sell their crops to biofuel companies than to food producers it seems to be pushing up the costs of grains, which exacerbates the economic situations of destitute countries. (England)

Biofuels are continuing to be proven as an exigent endeavor considering many factors, such as the rise in oil prices coupled with growing concerns about the aforementioned global warming. (Geographic) Many entire countries, such as Brazil, have already made usage of biofuels a permanent part of their industries. Much of the gasoline used in America is actually blended with ethanol, a well-known biofuel. Biofuel creation is shown below:

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