Andris Piebalgs continues this Friday his blogging on bio-fuels, addressing some of the concerns expressed by the readers of the last blog-entry. I agree that a radical change in consumer behavior is needed if we want Europe to be more energy efficient. At the same time, as policy makers we have to come up with policies that are based on present day realities. And the reality is that most Europeans are living and working in big cities and using modern means of transport. It would be unrealistic to impose sanctions on car producers and users if no alternatives are provided.
I agree that a radical change in consumer behavior is needed if we want Europe to be more energy efficient. At the same time, as policy makers we have to come up with policies that are based on present day realities. And the reality is that most Europeans are living and working in big cities and using modern means of transport. It would be unrealistic to impose sanctions on car producers and users if no alternatives are provided.
I undestand the need of businesses to have delivery vehicles, but those can be electric since, again, they don't need to leave the urban area. It'd be nice if the battle were only against the right wingers, not half of the left on top of that — François in Paris
I have to precisify myself, what the minister stopped was a raising of bio-ethanol from 5% to 10%. The argument is that too many car drivers would be forced to fuel expensive Super Plus because their engines don't tolerate much bio-ethanol. He blamed it on the car industry, for giving him false initial estimates about the number of cars affected.
However, diesels are unaffected by this. (On that front, Greenpeace Germany just blasted the bio-diesel industry association, after conducting a study into the nitty-gritty of their claim about using only sustainably grown soya.)
The real good news is that given mandated CO2 reductions, now car transport emissions have to be further curtailed by other means. *Traitor*, n. A benighted individual who perceives an illusory distinction between serving his nation and abetting the criminals who govern it.
EurActiv.com: Biofuels for transport
The EU is promoting the use of biofuels as an alternative energy source for transport. In 2003, it set itself an indicative target of increasing the use of biofuels in energy consumption to 5.75% by 2010. But a 2007 progress report shows that it will likely only achieve a 4.2% biofuels share in that year. Therefore, the Commission proposed in its 2007 "Energy Package" to step up its effort and demanded a mandatory target of 10% by 2020.
If I remember correctly, the EU's entire oil seed production wasn't sufficient to meet the 6% biodiesel target (assuming 1:1 ratio of replacement of diesel with biodiesel and no demand increase to 2020).
This is madness. It'd be nice if the battle were only against the right wingers, not half of the left on top of that — François in Paris
Notice that the comparative advantage of bio-diesel to ethanol in EROEI is more than cancelled by its comparatively lower production density. That ensures that ethanol figures are a lower bound on agricultural surface demand.
Thus, I wouldn't take the EROEI figures floating around too seriously. A doo run-run-run, a doo run-run
George Walker is a noxious pest infestation. The overt signs of this parasite will be over by the end of 2008. Unfortunately, the damage it caused has weakened the fields and enabled other pests, parasites, and disease-causing organisms to flourish. It is estimated it will take anywhere from four to twenty years to get rid of these secondary invaders.
There are two minds regarding the proper eradication effort. One group is strongly in favor of the Obama™ method which involves widespread reconstruction of grassroots to choke-out the remaining pests. The Hillary™ method involves a Top/Down dressing on the fields to stunt pest growth. Unfortunately, both of these requires a costly Spinal Implant procedure to members of the Congress of the United States.
Another school advocates the McCain™ patented Invisible Hand© treatment. This involves letting the parasites run amok until the whole thing falls over.
The assumption is either the Obama™ or Hillary™ will be selected in November but one shouldn't count the last out. A doo run-run-run, a doo run-run
What is the EU trying to do?
Establish a working, sensible and efficient transportation system with currently available technology, find an alternative fuel to, literally, power the current petro-chemical based transportation system, build a bridge between the present system and some (undefined, so far) future system, or do something else?
Discussing which fuel or fuels mixture: bio-diesel, electricity, hamster-powered treadmill, to use is premature. Tho' not entirely pointless. A doo run-run-run, a doo run-run
The high cost of crude is forcing fertilizer factories in the US to close, meaning there is a fertilizer shortage in the US, meaning -- who the hecks knows? IF this shortage continues we can confidently predict the gradual abandonment of cereal production on marginal land in the US.
Just as a note, that "marginal land" is pretty near anything west of central Kansas to the Sierra Nevada mountain range in central California. A doo run-run-run, a doo run-run
I would be working to build as many Solar, Wind, Tidal, and other renewable power plants as I could and building the high transmission power lines required, if any are, to bring that power to where it is needed.
I would work through the EU to encourage the countries along the southern Mediterranean to build Solar and Wind based power plants and the high transmission power lines needed to bring that power to the EU. (Across the Gibraltar Strait?)
With oil going bye-bye as an energy source the world is going to have to replace those terrawatts of energy with something. That something is, most likely - given our current stage of technology, electricity. The EU needs to be building these renewable plants as fast as they can in order to ease the transition from oil to electricity as well as to use oil (while it is 'cheap') as the energy source to build the plants.
Along with that do or push for:
WorldChanging: Someone Invent a Better City Ranking!
one of the barriers to sustainability is the idea -- common throughout the developed world -- that we need to do something to protect the environment, and therefore anything we do is pretty much a step in the right direction. But of course, we don't need to merely do something, we need to do enough; and we don't just need to do anything, we need to do the right things.
one of the barriers to sustainability is the idea -- common throughout the developed world -- that we need to do something to protect the environment, and therefore anything we do is pretty much a step in the right direction.
But of course, we don't need to merely do something, we need to do enough; and we don't just need to do anything, we need to do the right things.
Policy is, I think, often made in that kind of way: there is a problem conceptualised in a narrow frame, some solution to the problem comes up, its benefits for various kinds of groups and purposes (climate change targets, farmer wages, popular opinion) become apparent, its negatives (not enough land, food prices) are not appropriately weighed, and presto, you get a Biofuels Directive with absurd targets.
We really need better governance.
Of course, the real answer is to cut transport needs, but I doubt there is half as much money in that. Member of the Anti-Fabulousness League since 1987.
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