biofuels Essay APA Format 1 1/2 page

BOS 3551, Environmental Issues 1

Course Learning Outcomes for Unit V Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

1. Outline important environmental problems and debates. 1.1 Summarize arguments on population growth. 1.2 Outline the downstream effects of hydropower dams and recommend policy action for or

against hydropower.

3. Critique global and national energy issues related to the environment. 3.1 Assess the advantages and disadvantages of biofuels.

Reading Assignment Unit 3: Energy Issues, pp. 174–199 Unit 4: Food and Population, pp. 201–214

Unit Lesson Biofuels In Unit IV, you read articles about whether or not we should continue to rely on fossil fuels and whether or not renewable energy is really green. Biofuels are yet another energy option that, like shale gas, have advantages and disadvantages. To make biofuels, biomass is broken down, processed, and then refined. Different types of biomass produce a variety of biofuels. For example, corn is broken down and processed into ethanol, and vegetable oils are processed to make biodiesel fuel. In theory, biofuels contribute less to carbon dioxide emissions. As they grow, the plants used to make the biofuels take in about as much carbon dioxide as they will give off when they are burned in an engine. Biofuels are also renewable because we can simply grow a new crop of corn or switchgrass from which to make more biofuel (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, n.d.). In this unit’s reading, Kline, Dale, Lee, and Leiby argue that the benefits, including “reduced fossil fuel use, diversified fuel supplies, increased employment, decreased greenhouse gas emissions, enhanced habitat for wildlife, improved soil and water quality, and more stable global land use,” outweigh the costs (2009/2016, p.177). Despite these benefits, media articles have claimed that using cropland for biofuel crops has caused higher food prices. However, later studies showed that other factors, such as higher energy prices, were the cause of the increases. Biofuels are also blamed for indirect deforestation. Opponents of biofuels claim that when food prices rise, farmers in developing countries clear more land for crops, causing deforestation. As Kline et al. (2009/2016) point out, however, the relationship between land clearing and crop prices is not clear, there are many other factors involved in land-clearing decisions, and the evidence actually supports other causes of deforestation besides biofuel crops. Kline et al. (2009/2016) conclude that there is enough land for both food crops and biofuel crops. On the other hand, Pimentel et al. (2009/2016) point out that food and biofuel crops rely on the same resources of land, water, and energy. If those resources are being directed towards biofuel crops, there are less of those resources left for growing food crops. Due to our growing population, we need the arable land to grow food, not biofuels. Grain yields consistently rise, but the rate of increase is slowing and not keeping pace with population growth (Pimentel et al., 2009/2016).

UNIT V STUDY GUIDE

Biofuels, Hydropower, Population

BOS 3551, Environmental Issues 2

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Not only does growing biofuel crops use cropland needed to produce food, it often takes more fossil fuel energy to produce the biofuels than we can get out of them Pimentel et al. (2009/2016). Fossil fuel energy must be used to harvest, transport, and process biofuel crops. This input of fossil fuels creates carbon dioxide emissions, which means that biofuels are not carbon-neutral. The process of calculating the net carbon dioxide emissions from biofuel is very complicated. For example, should the fossil fuel inputs from fertilizer manufacturing to grow the crops be counted (Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, (n.d.)? What about the emissions from the plants that manufacture the pesticides to spray on the biofuel crops? At first glance, biofuel crops seem to be a more environmentally-friendly source of energy than fossil fuels. When we consider the net carbon emissions and potential impacts on deforestation and food supplies, it is not so clear that biofuels are as green as they appear. Hydroelectricity Hydroelectric dams use the power of flowing water to produce electricity. The process does not create any emissions, and the electricity produced can easily be ramped up and down, depending on demand. Unless the river runs dry, hydroelectric power is a renewable, domestic power source. As you have learned by reading about other renewable power sources, there are also disadvantages. When a dam is built, the area behind the dam is flooded, displacing residents and destroying habitat. Natural river flows and cycles are disturbed, which can have unforeseen effects downstream from the dam. The dam itself interferes with fish migration, and aquatic life is often killed as it passes through the dam’s turbines. Blankinship (2009/2016) believes that, despite its environmental effects, a new wave of hydropower development can provide clean, efficient electricity. The article does little to address the environmental effects of hydropower, but it does point out new technologies, such as fish-friendly turbines, which can minimize some of the damage. Blankenship also discusses hydrokinetic technology, which can make power using stream flow. These “hydrokinetic water turbines (HUTs) can be placed where there is no dam; for example, they may be attached to bridges or to frames on the river bottom” (Blankinship, 2009/2016). There could still be some aquatic life affected, but eliminating the construction of the dam would allow us to produce electricity without flooding an entire area. We can also invest in upgrading existing hydropower developments to make them more efficient. Blankenship (2009) points out that the installation of new computerized controllers at a dam in California has increased output and allowed the dam operators to save water in the process. Whereas Blankinship concentrates on hydropower in the U.S. and Canada, Ives’s (2011/2016) article discusses the negative impacts of dams on the Mekong River and the problems that a proposed dam, the Xayaburi Dam, might cause in Laos. China has built several dams on the Mekong, and Laotian farmers say that it has hindered their ability to grow some of their crops and caused violent flooding. Proponents of the Xayaburi Dam claim that its construction would alleviate poverty in Laos. However, opponents of the dam point out that sediment buildup at the proposed dam would cause output to drop by 60% in 30 years, throwing off the balance between the costs and benefits of the dam. The Xayaburi could cause “$476 million in direct losses through reduced fish harvests,” displace residents, and disrupt crop production along the Mekong (Ives, 2011, p. 197). In addition to these known impacts is the potential catastrophe of earthquakes. The Mekong region lies on an active fault line, and an earthquake could cause dam failures that would destroy downstream communities (Ives, 2011/2016). Clearly, there are many benefits to hydropower. However, the environmental and social consequences of dam construction must be weighed against the benefits an area could receive from the energy produced. Hydropower is not the right choice for all the locations where it could be used, just as solar or wind power is suited for some areas, and not others. As you read through this unit’s articles, think about how you would determine the type of power that is right for a certain area. Population In Unit I, you read two articles on the Limits to Growth. One article argued that data supported the predictions made by the model, and the world is on the verge of a global collapse. The other article claimed that the Limits to Growth predictions did not come to pass and that the world has the capacity to support the growing human population, as well as solve our environmental problems. The LtG model included data on population, resource extraction, industrial development, food production, and environmental pollution. This unit’s articles on population focus mainly on the question of whether our population growth itself is a problem we must address.

BOS 3551, Environmental Issues 3

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David Attenborough believes that the Earth has a carrying capacity of only so many humans. Just as an animal population crashes when the resources in its habitat are overused, so will the human population decline. Our population has continued to grow without such a decline because we have found ways to fight disease and grow food more efficiently. This increase in the number of people has led to an increased resource use to supply the homes, energy, food, transportation, and water those people need. We have read about many the environmental consequences of this population growth, such as species loss, climate change, and pollution in Units I through IV. Despite these consequences, Attenborough points out several British government reports and projects, as well as international summit documents, that consider major environmental issues with no mention of their relationship to population growth (Attenborough, 2011/2016). For example, the Global Food and Farming Futures report details the difficulties associated with feeding the world’s current population of seven billion. The report makes recommendations about how to tackle these difficulties so we can feed the projected eight to ten billion people there will be by 2050. However, none of these recommendations included population control measures such as family planning or education (Attenborough, 2011/2016). Sean Lanahan would argue that the report rightfully left out population control measures because they are unnecessary. He calculates the number of total calories produced by agriculture each year and shows that there are actually 855,519 extra calories produced per person, per year (Lanahan, 2013/2016). Although there are people who do go hungry, this is because there is waste in the system. Developed countries are very efficient at getting food from harvest to the table but very wasteful in consuming the food. Developing countries, on the other hand, are wasteful between harvest and getting the food to the table. Harvesting and growing of crops is often done without the benefits of modern equipment to make it more efficient. However, once the food is to the consumer, there is much less waste than in developed countries (Lanahan, 2013/2016). Lanahan believes that if we put measures into place to stop the waste and employ farming techniques (such as Seawater Greenhouses), which allow agriculture to make the desert productive, we can feed the seven billion people we have, as well as two to four times more (Lanahan, 2013/2016). There is certainly quite a disparity between how Lanahan and Attenborough view our growing population. They are both looking at the same population numbers and coming up with divergent opinions on where our current path of population growth will lead. As you read these two articles, think about what changes you see due to population growth in your area. Do these changes align more with Lanahan’s interpretation of population growth or Attenborough’s?

References Attenborough, D. (2016). This heaving planet. In T. A. Easton, Taking sides: Clashing views on environmental

issues (16th ed. expanded, pp. 206-209). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. (Reprinted from New Statesman, 29–32, April 25, 2011)

Blankinship, S. (2016). Hydroelectricity: The versatile renewable. In T. A. Easton, Taking sides: Clashing

views on environmental issues (16th ed. expanded, pp. 191-194). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. (Reprinted from Power Engineering, 32-34, 2009)

Center for Climate and Energy Solutions. (n.d.). Biofuels overview. Retrieved from

http://www.c2es.org/technology/overview/biofuels Ives, M. (2016). Dam bad. In T. A. Easton, Taking sides: Clashing views on environmental issues (16th ed.

expanded, pp. 195-198). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. (Reprinted from Earth Island Journal, 40-45, Autumn, 2011)

Kline, K., Dale, V. H., Lee, R., & Leiby, P. (2016). In defense of biofuels, done right. In T. A. Easton, Taking

sides: Clashing views on environmental issues (16th ed. expanded, pp. 177–181). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. (Reprinted from Issues in Science and Technology, 75–84, Spring 2009)

Lanahan, S. (2016). Debunking the over-population myth. In T. A. Easton, Taking sides: Clashing views on

environmental issues (16th ed. expanded, pp. 210-213). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. (Reprinted from Countryside & Small Stock Journal, pp. 36-39, January/February 2013)

BOS 3551, Environmental Issues 4

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Pimentel, D., Marklein, A., Tuth, M., Karpoff, M., Paul, G., McCormack, R., Krueger, T. (2016). Food versus biofuels: Environmental and economic costs. In T. A. Easton, Taking sides: Clashing views on environmental issues (16th ed. expanded, pp. 182-186). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education. (Reprinted from Human Ecology, 1-7, 9, February, 2009)

Suggested Reading This article provides a discussion of a plan to double food production by 2050. Foley, J. (2011, November 1). Can we feed the world and sustain the planet? A five-step global plan could

double food production by 2050 while greatly reducing environmental damage. Scientific American. Retrieved from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/can-we-feed-the-world/

This article provides a discussion of future hydropower opportunities in Europe. Hydro World. (2009, May 20). Hydropower in Europe: Current status, future opportunities. Retrieved from

http://www.hydroworld.com/articles/2009/05/hydropower-in-europe.html