Browse > Home / International, Policy / Nobel Prize winning chemist: Biofuel crop production is speeding up global warming

Nobel Prize winning chemist: Biofuel crop production is speeding up global warming

September 28, 2007

An article by Nobel prize winning chemist Paul J. Crutzen is reported to say that that crops used in the US and Europe to make biofuels were speeding up global warming. The article stated that use of canola, or rapeseed, to produce biodiesel resulted in 70% higher emissions than diesel, taking into account the use of fertilizers. The article found that the fertilizers release nitrous oxide, which is 300 times more insulating than carbon dioxide.

Crutzen’s report echoes sentiments published earlier this year and widely distributed by the National Petrochemical & Refiners Association. The NPRA pointed attention to an op-ed in the Washington Post opposing projects in the Chesapeake Bay run off area due to excessive nitrogen levels; another article in Bloomberg pointed out the increasing size of the Gulf Of Mexico dead zone due to excessive production of corn in the Mississippi River watershed.

Run-Off Harms the Chesapeake. “Despite rising food prices, it seems that nearly everyone is turning to corn-based ethanol as their choice for alternative fuel. Hidden behind these headlines, though, is an equally important but less visible cost: water pollution. Corn is a ‘leaky’ crop, losing more nitrogen per acre than most other crops. In the Washington region, much of this excess nitrogen ends up polluting the Chesapeake Bay and robbing fish, crabs and oysters of oxygen. For farmers, the demand for alternative fuels has brought much-needed, and deserved, increases in corn prices. Unfortunately, this summer’s drought will keep mid-Atlantic farmers from realizing their potential windfall, and any unused nitrogen will wash into the bay this winter.” (Tom Simpson and Daphne Pee, op-ed, “How Corn Ethanol Could Pollute the Bay,” The Washington Post, August 26, 2007

Increased Levels of Farm Waste Are Hurting Gulf Waters. “The crop that is bringing prosperity to farmers is making it harder for commercial fishermen in Louisiana to make a living. U.S. farmers this spring planted the most acreage with corn since 1944, after demand for ethanol pushed the grain’s price to a 10-year high. That has increased the level of farm waste flowing into the Mississippi River basin, which scientists blame for creating a pocket along the Louisiana coast where shrimp and other sea life cannot survive. The Gulf of Mexico’s so-called Dead Zone is expected to cover a record 8,543 square miles, or 22,126 square kilometers, this year and stretch into waters off Texas, said Nancy Rabalais, chief scientist for a study team at the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium. … Corn fuels the zone because it requires more nitrogen-based fertilizer than crops like soybeans, said Eugene Turner, a Louisiana State University oceanographer. Nitrogen and other nutrients eventually reach the Gulf of Mexico, feeding microscopic organisms that deplete oxygen levels as they die and decompose on the sea floor. Shrimp and fish suffocate unless they escape. … ‘The rah-rah sort of drowns out the environmental side,’ [Rabalais] said. ‘If our federal government subsidizes more corn, they’re working against water quality.’” (Tony Cox, “Ethanol Demand Seen Harming U.S. Fishermen,” Bloomberg, July 23, 2007

  • Gore, UN climate panel win Nobel Peace Prize
    • In Norway, former US Vice President Albert Gore Jr and the U.N. climate panel were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for their efforts to build up and disseminate greater knowledge about man-made climate...
  • Biofuels Digest investigation: dubious Reuters article on emissions fans anti-biofuel flames
    • An investigation by Biofuels Digest revealed that peer reviews have given the thumbs-down to an article published last week on nitrous oxide emissions from biofuel production. The article, produced...
  • Biofuels Personality of the Year, Finalist: Al Gore
    • In case it escaped anyone's attention, Al Gore won the Nobel Peace Prize this year for his work on climate change issues. His book and film An Inconvenient Truth appeared in 2006, and the film won the...
  • 10 Biofuel Trends Worth Watching
    • 1. Sector downgrades Biofuel stocks have been weathering downgrades, primarily on the ethanol side. Goldman Sachs analyst Arjun Murt cited poor pricing and cost outlooks in cutting his share price ...
  • X Prize for aviation biofuels: “The race to refuel American aviation is on,” Transportation Secretary says
    • In Washington, US Transportation Secretary Mary Peters announced that the X Prize Foundation had been selected to develop incentives leading to a breakthrough strategy in renewable aviation fuels. "Th...
  • Director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory warns of unprecedented energy crisis
    • In California, the director of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Nobel Prize winning physicist Steven Chu, warned of an unprecedented energy crisis. Chu said that 'Lighting the Way: Towar...

    Written by Jim Lane · Filed Under International, Policy 

    Comments

    One Response to “Nobel Prize winning chemist: Biofuel crop production is speeding up global warming”

    1. World food stocks dwindling as governments mandate burning the food | The Jim Report on December 18th, 2007 10:48 am

      [...] Biofuel increases co2 [...]

    Got something to say?

    You must be logged in to post a comment.