Miranda

Do Biofuels Harm More than They Help?

Of course this article isn't about making the most money. It's about environmentally friendly investing. And for many, that means supporting "sustainable" energy, some of which can make money (solar stocks and some clean energy ETFs have been doing okay). The point of this article was not to bring up things like solar, wind and nuclear (which are all better for air quality), but rather point out that the biofuels we are focusing on now are not as great as many seem to think.

Jatropha, though, does not destroy topsoil. It actually turns bad topsoil into something usable later. And, unlike corn ethanol, is fairly efficient.

And yes, CO2 does help plants. Unfortunately, too much of it can be harmful. Too much of nearly anything can be harmful. And when what takes the CO2 from the air is being destroyed by clearing, it can be a problem.

Global warming, though, is not something I am overly concerned about. I see it as a red herring. Rather, pollution and the quality of the air we breathe (and the attendant health issues) is more of an issue for me. But the pols want us focused on a global warming debate. Why? Because air pollution and air quality is something we can work on, and something that requires actual action. Global warming by humans can't really be proven definitively at this time, so focusing on a debate forestalls having to take action.