The discussion on biofuels has cooled off a bit in the last while; Likely due to the hubbub about the US election. But the search for alternatives fuel sources is a red herring.
Replacing one fuel for another fuel does not solve all of our problems. The impending problems include global warming or climate change, and the depletion of non-renewable fuel sources. These two problems could partially be solved through adoption of other fuel sources.
Renewable sources of fuel will solve the depletion problem and may solve the climate change issue. But even renewable sources, no matter how clean, will have output which is not clean. Contaminants are created either through the production of these alternatives or through their use. At some point this might be reduced, but it is, at present, unlikely that it will be clean enough to consider it as a clean and safe alternative. Batteries and nuclear leftovers need to be dealt with eventually.
The problem with our fuel consumption is not necessary what we are consuming but, rather, how much we are consuming. Further, it is not how much we are consuming but the fact that we are consuming.
The question which should be discussed and highlighted is not what we are using as fuel. We should be spending money, time and research investigating new ways to do the things we want to do.
We want to travel. We want to have lights, heat, food, recreation, and so on.
We don’t need to replace our fuel, we need to replace our dependence on fuel in general. We need to find ways to use our own energy to get around. We need to find ways to produce goods which use less power. Much less.
The problem is that we need to admit that we have a problem. We insist on living the life we want without curbing our own desires. We need to realize that a large part of our problem is not what we use, but it is us.
If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the precipitate.
