Is it true that the Brazilian rain forest is being burned to plant cane to make alchohol, and the same sort of thing is happening in Indonesia and Malaysia to produce palm oil for biodiesel?
2006-08-10 19:23:06 · 2 answers · asked by michinoku2001 7 in Environment
These E-85 or bio fuels are considered to be carbon neutral. The plants suck the carbon out of the air and then we convert the plants into ethanol and burn it, putting it right back into the atmosphere.
I think this plan will be short lived. We need to move to hydrogen based fuels for our cars or something that is not strictly based on the internal combusion engine using carbon based fuels.
2006-08-11 04:47:52 · answer #1 · answered by Mr. Knowitall 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is truth to this, yes. It is a scheme to get it on an market as cheaply as possible, and it obviously is not ecologically sustainable and in some ways defeats the purpose or at least complicates the whole intention. This appears to be happening in Malaysia and Indonesia. There is controversy over this issue in Brazil which has been a world leader in alternative fuel production. Its a corporate/consumer accountablility issue
There are, however, many many other ways to obtain, make and purchase biodiesel, and many sustainable sources and opportuities for growing cane and other crops for this purpose. This is clearly far more ecologically as well as economically sustainable in the long run.
Its a good question
2006-08-10 19:48:24 · answer #2 · answered by Faye 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋