http://green.venturebeat.com/2008/02/20/are-biofuels-bad-the-debate-doesnt-end-meanwhile-crisis-approaches-from-coal-and-oil/ News About Tech, Money and Innovation Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:13:15 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 hourly 1 http://green.venturebeat.com/2008/02/20/are-biofuels-bad-the-debate-doesnt-end-meanwhile-crisis-approaches-from-coal-and-oil/comment-page-1/#comment-795930 Tad W. Patzek Wed, 20 Feb 2008 17:52:42 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2008/02/20/are-biofuels-bad-the-debate-doesnt-end-meanwhile-crisis-approaches-from-coal-and-oil/#comment-795930 The last week's headlines are a sad reflection of the backwardness and lack of reason in US government science, policies, and thinking with regard to agrofuels. In Europe, and elsewhere, the realization of harmfulness of major agrofuel systems came about two years ago, and I have been writing about the problems with land use change, catastrophic GHG emissions from the tropics, and other related issues for at least 4 years. Please check up on our open letter to IPCC pointing out the weaknesses in their politicized, counterproductive approach to agrofuels: http://www.grain.org/agrofuels/IPCC-Letter-to-DrRKPachauri.pdf . You can also read my September 2007 paper prepared for the OECD meeting of the EU environment and transportation ministers: http://petroleum.berkeley.edu/papers/Biofuels/OECDSept102007TWPatzek.pdf The latter paper had an enormous direct impact in Europe, and went unnoticed in the US. So my advice to the US policy makers is simple: Start listening to reputable scientists, and stop being manipulated by an assortment of industrial lobbies propped by the apparatchiks of science and engineering, third-rated economists, and confused venture-capitalists with government ties. The last week’s headlines are a sad reflection of the backwardness and lack of reason in US government science, policies, and thinking with regard to agrofuels. In Europe, and elsewhere, the realization of harmfulness of major agrofuel systems came about two years ago, and I have been writing about the problems with land use change, catastrophic GHG emissions from the tropics, and other related issues for at least 4 years. Please check up on our open letter to IPCC pointing out the weaknesses in their politicized, counterproductive approach to agrofuels: http://www.grain.org/agrofuels/IPCC-Letter-to-DrRKPachauri.pdf . You can also read my September 2007 paper prepared for the OECD meeting of the EU environment and transportation ministers: http://petroleum.berkeley.edu/papers/Biofuels/OECDSept102007TWPatzek.pdf
The latter paper had an enormous direct impact in Europe, and went unnoticed in the US.
So my advice to the US policy makers is simple: Start listening to reputable scientists, and stop being manipulated by an assortment of industrial lobbies propped by the apparatchiks of science and engineering, third-rated economists, and confused venture-capitalists with government ties.

]]> http://green.venturebeat.com/2008/02/20/are-biofuels-bad-the-debate-doesnt-end-meanwhile-crisis-approaches-from-coal-and-oil/comment-page-1/#comment-795902 Ramon Wed, 20 Feb 2008 12:11:34 +0000 http://venturebeat.com/2008/02/20/are-biofuels-bad-the-debate-doesnt-end-meanwhile-crisis-approaches-from-coal-and-oil/#comment-795902 I don't agree with the emissions part, if we compare the ethanol processing and oil we can see a big difference in overall "carbon credits". How much CO2 does shipment of oil produces? There's a lot less carbon generated in the overall process of production I think it's more of a non-biofuel company trying to say stay with oil and stay green :) I don’t agree with the emissions part, if we compare the ethanol processing and oil we can see a big difference in overall “carbon credits”. How much CO2 does shipment of oil produces? There’s a lot less carbon generated in the overall process of production I think it’s more of a non-biofuel company trying to say stay with oil and stay green

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