For all the hype and government subsidies biofuels are getting for saving the environment and satisfying the wonderful Kyoto protocol, it's ironic that rainforests are being destroyed to produce them. The quixotic quest for cheap, plentiful biofuels that help the environment can be summed up by the article's final quote:

Roger Higman, of Friends of the Earth UK, which backs biofuels, says: "We need to ensure that the crops used to make the fuel have been grown in a sustainable way..."

Exactly, just like we need to ensure people have hearts of gold and no corruption exists to make communism work! Where are we going to produce all that biofuel at a reasonable price? The article states, "Palm oil prices jumped 10 per cent in September alone, and are predicted to rise 20 per cent next year, while global demand for biofuels is now rising at 25 per cent a year." Is biofuel even sustainable if we're sitting at the bottom of the demand curve and it's already causing rainforest destruction?

Ecologically-sound production of non-petroleum-based fuels will certainly need to be developed, but biofuel advocates and Kyoto protocol supporters need to keep the big picture in mind before going gung-ho. If our taxes are going to subsidize biofuels, let's at least first make sure they're actually helping the environment.

Posted by JoshC at December 5, 2005 7:52 AM

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