Well surprise surprise, biofuels are not the saviors that it’s made up to be. In fact it’s been said that first generation biofuels may actually be worse for the environment because much of the prime growing real estate for growing these new forms of fuel are occupied by peat bogs, forests and rainforests. Clearing these ecological hotspots to plant corn, soy, palm oil, etc is absolutely insane and the developed world is meeting its carbon goals on the backs of developing countries like Indonesia (which was the third largest CO2 producer in 2006).

If 10,000 square metres of Brazilian rainforest is cleared to make way for soya beans – which are used to make biodiesel – over 700,000 kilograms of carbon dioxide is released.

The saving generated by the resulting biodiesel will not cancel that out for around 300 years, says Fargione. In the case of peat land rainforest in Indonesia, which is being cleared to grow palm oil, the debt will take over 400 years to repay, he says.
Source: NewScientist

I also found this article on “the other cost” of first generation biofuels, namely the diminishing supply of food available to the world quite disturbing.

The authors conclude in Science that as the US ramps up biofuel production, other crops will decline – “corn by 62 per cent, wheat by 31 per cent, soybeans by 28 per cent, pork by 18 per cent and chicken by 12 per cent.” The general reply to this is to claim that boosted crop yields on remaining land and greater efficiencies will make this up. Not so fast, reply the authors, stating their figures are already based on the assumption of growth in yields but that “positive and negative effects, “the latter from factors like “reduced crop rotations and greater reliance on marginal land,” cause a canceling out.
Source: The Register

I’ve said this time and time again, there is no easy way around the climate change problem and we have to all make sacrifices. The biggest thing we can do is lower our consumption first and foremost! If we can do that, everything else will be made much easier…