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Take the Biofuel Pledge "If the BioTruck team can make it all the way to Timbuktu on Biodiesel, I pledge that my next tank will be Biofuel." |
How Green is BiodieselThe main reason biodiesel has a lower carbon footprint than fossil fuel is because carbon is absorbed when the crop that provides the vegetable oil is grown. But in some cases forests are felled to create plantations to grow biodiesel crops. Obviously this is completely counterproductive, and because energy is used in the production and transport of the fuel, some biodiesels actually have a worse carbon footprint than fossil diesel!
So not all biodiesel is good biodiesel. Have a look at our Chocolate Fuel to see how we are producing our fuel for the trip. The other criticism aimed at biodiesel crop farming is that it is driving up the prices of food, and while it's undeniable that the biofuel industry has created a demand for corn and sugar beats, other factors such as the slowing of crop subsidies in the EU and US have had a much more significant effect on rising over the last few years. So for now this is actually a bit of myth but in the future as biofuels become more popular this could become more of a problem. Most agree that while biofuels aren't the single solution to stop climate change there is currently room for them to play a larger role than they currently are. And with scientific advances the size of the role is increasing. The industry is developing “second generation” crops where fuel can be made from parts of the crop that aren't eaten (like the stalks of corn instead of the ears) and algae which produces 20-100 times more useable oil per hectare of land. The government is encouraging the Biofuels industry to develop rapidly which is great, but within that expansion some producers are making biofuels which are less environmentally beneficial than others and this is already having the effect of creating a skeptical public. We hope the BioTruck Expedition will raise awareness of these issues and re-enthuse the public. Links:
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The Expedition set off from the UK on the 26th of November and arrived in Timbuktu on the 26th of December 2007. Tell us what you think of the BioTurck Expedition. Share your carbon-cutting ideas with us.
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