HBO ran a phase on Final Week Tonight with John Oliver that took purpose at U.S. corn growers and crop-based biofuels. In some circles, a hyper-cynical view of American agriculture has lengthy held again local weather progress, regardless of many years of science illustrating that biofuels are important to reaching a net-zero economic system. These attitudes have been fueled by years of fossil gasoline trade propaganda, geared toward undermining renewable fuels, and carried ahead by anti-agriculture particular pursuits that search to undermine American farmers. That’s why it’s disappointing – however not shocking – to see John Oliver fall prey to a few of historical past’s least credible claims concerning the environmental advantages of biofuels.
A number of information factors that rebut the claims from this episode of Final Week Tonight:
- Bioethanol is nice for our local weather: Opposite to the present’s wildly off-base declare about ethanol’s carbon footprint, analysis from the U.S. Division of Vitality’s Argonne Nationwide Lab, the U.S. Division of Agriculture, Environmental Well being and Engineering and different establishments have all concluded that at the moment’s ethanol reduces greenhouse fuel emissions by almost 50 % in comparison with gasoline. These calculations account for the total lifecycle of corn, together with land use. Furthermore, our authorities’s personal prime local weather scientists have instantly rebutted the “examine” cited on the present to assist false claims that ethanol is dangerous for the atmosphere.
- Bioethanol protects clear water: Ethanol is one in every of America’s greatest sources of unpolluted vitality with regard to water use. In actual fact, the water required to supply ethanol fell virtually 50 % for the reason that early 2000s. Immediately, manufacturing solely requires 2.7 gallons of water per gallon of ethanol – in comparison with 13 gallons of water to supply one gallon of gasoline. On the similar time, technological advances have dramatically diminished and are anticipated to proceed decreasing the quantity of water used for corn manufacturing. And, in contrast to in oil manufacturing, most of that water is returned to the environment as steam.
- Bioethanol is nice for meals provides: When a corn kernel’s starch is fermented to make bioethanol, the precious protein, minerals, nutritional vitamins, and fiber are all injected again into the meals chain. In actual fact, each bushel of corn produces 2.9 gallons of ethanol in addition to 17 kilos of nutrient-rich animal feed. Much more of the biomass is transformed into food-grade CO2, which is captured and wanted to carbonate drinks and refrigerate meat merchandise. Not solely does this animal feed characterize an environment friendly and inexpensive supply of vitamin, analysis exhibits it may possibly even assist scale back methane emissions generated throughout digestion by cows and different animals. From a local weather perspective, that’s a win-win.
- Bioethanol helps environment friendly use of land: Analysis has demonstrated that corn ethanol has not elevated crop acreage—in reality, corn acreage has been largely unchanged for the reason that Nineteen Thirties. And but, in that point, we’ve been capable of feed extra folks and gasoline extra automobiles utilizing the identical quantity of land attributable to monumental will increase in crop yield. As well as, biofuel manufacturing offers the only only car for incentivizing climate-smart agricultural practices, equivalent to no-till farming and canopy crops, which enhance the quantity of natural carbon saved in soil and stop the discharge of atmospheric CO2.
Though these myths from John Oliver have already been debunked, Progress Vitality will all the time reply to them with the reality—bioethanol produced from corn continues to be probably the most environmentally sound fuels accessible, from area to tailpipe.
