Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
biofuels production are palm oil,
Jatropha
and soybean. Palm oil used for biodiesel
production grows best in adequate quantity of water.
Jatropha
on the hand can grow
in less fertile land and in lesser quantity of water but its yield is less in such areas as
compared to that grown in fertile land with heavy water supply. Also the pesticides
that are used on biofuel producing crops cause pollution and pose health problems
(Robinson and Harris
2012
).
9 Conclusion
The enthralling increase in the development of the Industrial sector(IT) since the
advent of Industrial Revolution has, much to everyone's belief led to the paucity
of natural oil reserves. As most biofuel evangelists are in a dedicated endeavor to
expunge the dependence of most industrial markets on oil, it needs to know whatso-
ever elucidation, that the time to permanently switch over to alternative sources of
energy has indeed arrived. But when it comes to confronting issues like agricultural
crisis and environmental losses that are concomitant with the production of biofu-
els, all efforts are nullified and the reversion back to step one occurs. It has been
estimated that the increase in global biofuel production has led to 12 % increase in
the global food prices. However since USA accounts roughly for 60 % of the total
increase in food prices, the total increase is minute, hardly 7 %. Thus it can be de-
duced that the rise in global food prices is due to many factors other than biofuels
alone.
Issues like climatic concerns and global food crisis have denigrated the image of
biofuels by inveigling the community into conceding that biofuels weigh more in
detrimental aspects. It is crucial to address these issues by altering the framework
that developed countries implement for the development of biofuels. This frame-
work is beyond faulty. The first step is to be taken to understand that the primary
reason for the aggravation of global energy insecurity is because of the monopoly
played by the American and European TNCs (transnational corporations) in the
energy sector. Currently most biofuel production programs are designed in such a
way as to coerce Third World countries into reducing themselves into the hands of
capital and technology provided by the First World. This approach has been adopted
by the foreign companies to exploit and benefit from the Third World resources,
which leads to increased sensitization of domestic food security, interests of the
farmers and environment. Even the positive environmental effects contributed by
the biofuel production will be ephemeral due to the current framework of monopoly
control. As recent studies show its large-scale production is even more deleterious
to the environment, hence it can be correctly concluded that for independence of oil,
alternative energy resources should be handled and controlled by government bod-
ies and not foreign bodies that have conceited motives. They should be built against
neoliberal restructures and imperialist plunder of the Third World in order to restore
agrarian reform and food security.
