Negative aftereffects of biofuel production?

Biofuels should be a solution to oil-based fuel. On paper it sounds good because its made from plants like corn or soybeans and should therefore be much better for the environment. But there are some negatives. The Energy Bill that recently passed calls for a certain amount of biofuels and production to be mandatory. However, land that is cleared for agriculture is land that is changed from a natural habitat. Agriculture requires chemical pesticides and irrigation which are also harmful to the environment. The Christian Science Monitor also points out that the demand for biofuels could directly raise global food prices.

'"More people are coming to the conclusion that there is a food-fuel link," says Siwa Msangi of the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), a Washington food-security research organization. Bruce Babcock, an economist at Iowa State University's Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute says biofuels play a role in higher grain prices.

His findings are bolstered by a study last month in which Mr. Msangi's IFPRI estimated that future biofuel expansion could increase international corn prices between 26 and 72 percent by 2020, depending on how aggressive the expansion turns out to be.'

Read the full story: As global food costs rise, are biofuels to blame?