Biofuels for Biofools?

Volume 5, Issue 20, Winter 2009

Joachim H. SPANGENBERG and Josef SETTELE

ABSTRACT

The shift from fossil fuels to bio-based ones is considered to be a strategy to cope with the pressures of the coming peak oil era in oil dependent countries. However, although biomass can be a valuable element of a new energy mix, (i) without a drastic decrease in energy consumption its contribution will remain marginal, and (ii) without structural changes in the energy system (away from its current carbon basis) it poses risks to environmental security, mainly to biodiversity, and food security. This might even lead to significant changes in the relations between developed and developing countries. The prospect that second generation plantations deliver high yields from poor soils without external inputs is unrealistic. A more benign option for of biomass use is for carbon storage, at best realized in soils.

Keywords: Biomass, Biofuels, Biotechnology, Biodiversity, Brazil.

Joachim H. Spangenberg, Prof. Dr., Research Scientist, UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Community Ecology, Germany. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Josef Settele, Prof. Dr., Research Scientist, UFZ Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Department of Community Ecology, Germany. E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . The authors thank Isabelle Reginster, Mark Rounsevell and all the other members of the ALARM scenario and socio-economy team for productive discussions. They acknowledge the support of European Commission Framework Programme 6 via the Integrated Project ALARM (GOCE-CT-2003-506675, Settele et al. 2005).