New study: ethanol not threat to environment

Radio Iowa had this story late last week:

A new study published by the “Ethanol Across America” group says that production and use of ethanol is not causing the deforestation of rainforests. The study suggests that deforestation is more likely the result of cattle production.

Sneller (head of Ethanol Board in Nebraska) says it’s evident there’s very little deforestation taking place and what little tree-cutting is happening is typically related to the use of grassland and forests for cattle production and to a limited extent, for soybeans. In Brazil, for example, that deforestation is done mostly for human uses of the land, rather than fuels.

Sneller continues to say that ethanol production is improving and that the fuel is much better for the environment than petroleum.

He says, “The new report is one that reaffirms what we’ve heard from the University of Nebraska and others that ethanol, particularly made in today’s plants with the newest technology, makes a significant contribution to greenhouse gas reductions, particularly relative to refined gasoline products.” Supporters say ethanol is becoming more efficient and economical to produce, while oil will become more expensive and continue to do environmental damage.

Land-use change is a complex issue and will continue to be studied for years to come. Studies like this bring us closer to the truth.

Photo by crustmania.

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