permaculture

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lflj@intrex.net>]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/6949861.stm
Last Updated: Friday, 17 August 2007, 15:24 GMT 16:24 UK
EU biofuel policy is a 'mistake'
Barley (Image: National Non-Food Crops Centre)
The researchers question whether biofuel can cut carbon emissions
The EU target of ensuring 10% of petrol and diesel comes from renewable 
sources by 2020 is not an effective way to curb
carbon emissions, researchers say.

A team of UK-based scientists suggested that reforestation and habitat 
protection was a better option.

Writing in Science, they said forests could absorb up to nine times more CO2 
than the production of biofuels could
achieve on the same area of land.

The growth of biofuels was also leading to more deforestation, they added.

"The prime reason for the renewables obligation was to mitigate carbon dioxide 
(CO2) emissions," said Renton Righelato,
one of the study's co-authors.

"In our view this is a mistaken policy because it is less effective than 
reforesting," he told BBC News.

Dr Righelato, chairman of the World Land Trust, added that the policy could 
actually lead to more deforestation as
nations turned to countries outside of the EU to meet the growing demand for 
biofuels.

Carbon counting

--
Lawrence F. London, Jr.
lflj@intrex.net
lfljvfarm@gmail.com
Venaura Farm http://venaurafarm.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=4212&l=a8902&id=579517152
Agriculture, Market Farming & Permaculture
http://www.ibiblio.org/ecolandtech/market-farming