Biofuels Make Greenhouse Gases Worse 506
vortex2.71 sends us to the Seattle Times for an account of two studies published in the prestigious journal Science pointing to the conclusion that almost all biofuels used today cause more greenhouse-gas emissions than conventional fuels if the full emissions costs of producing these "green" fuels are taken into account. "The benefits of biofuels have come under increasing attack in recent months, as scientists took a closer look at the global environmental cost of their production. These plant-based fuels were originally billed as better than fossil fuels because the carbon released when they were burned was balanced by the carbon absorbed when the plants grew. But that equation proved overly simplistic because the process of turning plants into fuels causes its own emissions — for refining and transport, for example. These studies... for the first time take a detailed, comprehensive look at the emissions effects of the huge amount of natural land that is being converted to cropland globally to support biofuels development."
Hm... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Not hard to believe (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Hm... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Hm... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Hm... (Score:3, Funny)
Now I am prepared for any eventuality.
Re:Not really. (Score:3, Funny)
Not so fast, Mr. Smarty Pants. You've left out a crucial factor in your calculations.
A person consuming mainly factory-farmed beef, thanks to the massive cholesterol, hormone, and antibiotic intake, will die years, maybe decades earlier than the vegetarian. As their arteries clog up, they'll become sedentary, further reducing their energy consumption. Plus, once everybody gets fatter and wheezier, birth rates will go way down.
So we can conclude that super-beefy diets are better for the planet. Even better, if we listen to people like the 'tard who proposed it, I'm pretty sure humanity will die out in short order, allowing the planet to recover nicely