Food vs fuel - we want it all!
|
 |
In my first CEO comments piece at the end of last year I considered issues surrounding biofuels. At that time, I did not realize how prominent and fierce the debate would become. Over the past six months biofuels have taken centre stage worldwide with a wide diversification of views. There are many who see biofuels as the solution to the fuel shortage (and a step in the right direction to combat climate change), while some fear that the biofuel revolution will bring more food insecurity, higher food prices and hunger to the most vulnerable.
Valid points are made by strong factions. In Africa a petition calling for a "moratorium on new agrofuel developments in
On the other side of the argument we have the
Recently, I had the privilege of being invited to a private meeting on climate change to which the organizers had invited speakers on all sides of the argument. It was a fascinating experience where I heard a wide range of views and evidence very different from the IPCC “dogma” that comes through the media. This ranged from those who were sceptical about the IPCC data, models and recommendations to others who felt that the problem was actually much more serious and urgent and that the IPCC had not been radical enough. There was a similar divergence of opinion on the extent and accessibility of the world’s remaining oil reserves. So what is the “man in the street” (me in this case) to make of it all?
On reflection, there seemed to be no dispute in two areas. Firstly, that climate change is happening and we need to adapt to it whether or not man-made emissions are the root cause. Secondly, that oil is a finite resource that provides not just transportation fuel but gives us many things central to our lives today, so we better do what we can now to make it last until viable alternatives are available. A mix of alternative energy sources will be needed. Biofuels must play a significant role if we are concerned about the risks of nuclear and do not want to disfigure landscapes and coastlines with unsightly windfarms that decimate migratory bird populations.
To make any appreciable saving of fossil fuels, large tracts of land have to be dedicated to biofuel crops. About 7% of current agricultural land would be needed to supply 10% of global transport requirements. |
|
Whilst new biofuel-specific crops like Jatropha can be grown on marginal land, they produce much higher yields if supplied with water and grown in fertile areas so it seems likely that they will compete with resources for food in one way or another. Developing nations need energy to grow their populations out of poverty, but also need food security. So how should they prioritise the use of their agriculturally productive land, and how should they protect their trees from being cut down for fuel-wood as energy costs rise? There are many questions left unanswered so what are we to do?
CABI has been requested by its member countries to produce a balanced resource of scientifically-objective information on the subject to underpin rational policy-making and regulatory guidelines. We will soon be launching our ‘Biofuels Expert Exchange’ – a professional networking site, supplemented with database searches, that will allow access to relevant published information on biofuels, facilitate robust discussion and promote networking across disciplines so as to develop novel solutions.
But it would be so much better if we did not have to make the trade-offs. We all need to eat but most of the world also wants or aspires to the freedom, convenience and flexibility afforded by modern road and air transport. So how can we have it all? The answer has to be to grow food and fuel at the same time – making more effective use of the voluminous plant materials left over when we process wheat, maize, rice and sugar cane. President Bush is correct when he says that technology will be critical in giving us so-called second-generation biofuels from these sources. Technologies are available today but they are specialized and require high energy inputs to transport and process the materials at centralised locations.
Future solutions are likely to come from the natural world in the form of novel enzymes that can help break down the woody structures of plant materials and then help ferment them into fuels like ethanol and butanol more effectively. To be effective this would take place at ambient temperature in simple processes carried out on the farm to create a slurry or liquid which could be efficiently transported by tanker or pipeline for processing and purification – just as oil is today. To find out where such magical properties might be found, go and take a walk in any woodland. You will see fungi and molds colonising dead trees or fallen branches and beginning to break down the lignin and cellulose structures of the wood. At CABI we maintain a unique culture collection of such micro-organisms, gathered in environments ranging from tropical rainforests to
At this point I must confess an interest. I love my food and I am a keen car enthusiast. However, I am much more fussy about what I eat than what is powering my car, provided that the fuel gives reasonable performance and flexibility. Therefore I am an optimist who believes we will be able to have it all in terms of both food and fuel. You can be sure that CABI will be playing its part in making this happen.
I opened this piece with a quote from a recent presidential address. Let me close it with one from a presidential age when there was time for perhaps a more considered approach:
"There are of course two kinds of natural resources. One is the kind which can only be used as part of a process of exhaustion; this is true of mines, natural oil and gas wells, and the like. The other, and of course ultimately by far the most important, includes the resources which can be improved in the process of wise use; the soil, the rivers, and the forests come under this head. Any really civilized nation will so use all of these three great national assets that the nation will have their benefit in the future. Just as a farmer, after all his life making his living from his farm, will, if he is an expert farmer, leave it as an asset of increased value to his son, so we should leave our national domain to our children, increased in value and not worn out.”
President's annual address to congress. Theodore Roosevelt, 1908