The British Royal Society has issued basically the same warning this morning, and it has received quite a bit of press coverage. It was the lead story on BBC World for example, and will have a signaficant effect not only in Britain but throughout the EU.
Bill Silvert January 14, 2008 Biofuels 'do more harm than good to environment' says Royal Society Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter of The Times Biofuels will cause more harm than good to the environment unless strict controls are imposed on how they are grown, the Royal Society has cautioned. While they have the potential to help reduce the greenhouse gas emissions that are driving climate change, biofuels will devastate forests and other habitats unless controlled, scientists said. The Royal Society report of a 14-month inquiry was published as the European Union announced that its targets for biofuels are to be re-examined because of fears of their impact on the environment. Stavros Dimas, its Environment Commissioner, said that the environmental consequences of boosting biofuel production and the effects on poor communities were bigger than originally thought. The misgivings followed increasing anxiety about forests being cut down and savanna and other habitats being dug up to make room for biofuel crops. Communities living on the lands often had little say in the decisions and there is rising concern about the competition for agricultural land between biofuels and crops to feed the expanding world population.... ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nadine Lymn" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, January 10, 2008 2:28 PM Subject: ESA Press Release: Nation's Ecological Scientists weigh in on biofuels > Biofuels Sustainability > Nation's ecological scientists weigh in on biofuels > > The Ecological Society of America, the nation's professional > organization of 10,000 ecological scientists, today released a position > statement (www.esa.org/pao/policyStatements/#energy) that offers the > ecological principles necessary for biofuels to help decrease dependence > on fossil fuels and reduce carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to > global climate change. The Society warns that the current mode of > biofuels production will degrade the nation's natural resources and will > keep biofuels from becoming a viable energy option....
