Rainforest is being cleared for biofuel crops
Friends of the Earth, April 15, 2009
Biofuels could have doubled the carbon dioxide emissions of the fossil fuels [petrol and diesel] they replace - equivalent to putting half a million extra cars on the road - since a new law adding them to UK fuel came in a year ago, new research published by Friends of the Earth shows today (April 15, 2009).
(...) According to the new figures, soy crops from US, Argentina and Brazil, used in the most common biodiesels sold in the UK, could be causing 3 times more emissions than conventional fossil fuels. Even biofuels grown on farmland in the UK are contributing to the problem by pushing aside other crops and adding to the pressure on carbon- rich rainforests in countries like Indonesia, Malaysia and Brazil.
(...) In theory biofuels are good for the climate because plants absorb carbon, which is re-released when the fuel is burnt. However, research now suggests that growing crops for fuel increases demand for land and leads to more rainforests being turned into farmland - releasing huge amounts of carbon from the soil and trees into the atmosphere. Official statistics currently leave out these extra ‘indirect' emissions (...)
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