Biofuels and the Limits of Growth Biofuels are all the rage
lately--our ticket to oil independence. But in a world that is
struggling to provide enough food for its population and,
lately, losing the struggle, any significant biofuel prorgram
will have to compete for resources with other agricultural
pursuits. Already some of the more fragile ecosystems are being
destroyed by the rush into biofuels. In West Africa the biggest
new cause of deforestation in many regions is the conversion of
land into biofuel crop production. The land rush to establish
biofuel plantations in developing nations is one of the most
intense the world has ever seen. Millions of square miles could
be turned into biofuel plantations in the tropics, and the
impact this will have on global rainfall and global temperatures
is incalculable. Deforestation and drought are causing a steady
advance of deserts in northern Africa. There is a clear link
between deforestation and drought, particularly in West Africa,
as cited in the MIT study “Des