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Biofuels: A Bit More Sense of Proportion
Luis argued in it that a back-of-the-envelope calculation showed that the EU could very easily produce the biofuels needed for the EU target of 10% by 2020. He concludes:

Luis de Souza - Adris Piebalgs : getting a sense of proportion

the EU needs to allocate thirty five million (35 000 000) hectares to bio-fuels production.

I live in state that has an area of less than 9 million hectares. Germany has an area just over 35 million hectares. <...>

Good or evil? Friend or foe? This kind of wording doesn't fit in my Engeneering/Architecture dictionaries. Bio-fuels are not an option, it's all a matter of numbers.

You know, I understood Luis' diary as arguing in the opposite direction: "biofuels are not an option" (unless he means "biofuels is not a matter of choice but a matter of numbers"). IMHO, if you need to set aside the area of Germany just to produce biofuels for 20% of current liquid fuel demand, it's just not a sensible proposition.

When the capital development of a country becomes a by-product of the activities of a casino, the job is likely to be ill-done. — John M. Keynes
by Migeru (migeru at eurotrib dot com) on Mon Apr 7th, 2008 at 06:55:33 AM EST
If that's what he was arguing, I certainly sailed past it. I found the comments thread, in some ways, fairly uncertain, discussing the general subject mostly without agreeing or disagreeing with Luis.

Well, if he was dismissing biofuels, I apologise to Luis for misunderstanding him. What I say above then comes as further reflection and corroboration...

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Apr 7th, 2008 at 07:17:32 AM EST
[ Parent ]
You even linked to the comments thread only. From the diary:




All that dark green area producing ethanol in 2020?


*Lunatic*, n.
One whose delusions are out of fashion.
by DoDo on Mon Apr 7th, 2008 at 07:26:30 AM EST
[ Parent ]
"Even"?

I used Tribext for the links.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Apr 7th, 2008 at 07:32:24 AM EST
[ Parent ]
The links now point to the diary as they should.
by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Apr 7th, 2008 at 09:59:42 AM EST
[ Parent ]
This comment from the Oil Drum posting of Luis's diary does in fact indicate you're right.

So Luis thinks, as we all do, that biofuels as charted by the EU is nonsense. Sorry, Luis, for getting that backwards.

What I present above stands, all the same. Yet more, and more precise, reasons why the 10% target will only produce negative effects.

by afew (afew(a in a circle)eurotrib_dot_com) on Mon Apr 7th, 2008 at 07:36:47 AM EST
[ Parent ]

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