All Entries Tagged With: "water"

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “Things are certainly better today than they have been in the last year and a half.”

David Eyton, BP, VP for Research: “The scarcity issues we face are far broader. Energy intersects quite uncomfortably with a whole lot of other natural resources like food, like water, like land. And I think it’s possible that the first crisis we face in terms of a lack of something may be one of those.”

Jeff [...]

GAO publishes seminal report on water use and biofuels production

In Washington, the Government Accountability Office has released “Energy and Water”: Preliminary Observations on the Links between Water and Biofuels and Electricity Production. The full report can be downloaded here.
The GAO reported that “While the effects of producing corn-based ethanol on water supply and water quality are fairly well understood, less is known about the [...]

U Wisconsin, Deutsche Bank release report on impact of rising demand for biofuels, water

In Wisconsin, Deutsche Bank and the University of Wisconsin released a report on a gap is emerging between agricultural production and demand. The disconnect is expected to be amplified by climate change, according to the authors, increasing demand for biofuels, and a growing scarcity of water. By 2050, world population is expected to exceed 9 [...]

“Water footprint” of biofuels production explored in new study

In Texas, researchers at Rice University released a report “The Water Footprint of Biofuels: A Drink or Drive Issue?”, in which the scientists caution that “The ongoing, rapid growth in biofuels production could have far-reaching environmental and economic repercussions, and it will likely highlight the interdependence and growing tension between energy and water security”.
The water [...]

Today in Biofuels Opinion: “A lack of understanding of the dynamics of the agricultural markets that governed feedstock prices.”

Philip Brasher, Des Moines Register: The ethanol industry is in a slump, and the biodiesel business is all but a standstill. Are there some lessons that could be learned from this that can be applied to next-generation fuels? Ross McCracken, editor of Platts Energy Economist, thinks so and he’s laid them out in an analysis. [...]

UNESCO says biofuels will add to water stress; 700 million will need to relocate due to water shortages

The UN has released a new report, Water in a Changing World, indicating that 47 percent of the world’s population will face water stress — where consumption exceeds supply for part of the year or where distribution infrastructure is insufficient— by 2030. UNESCO said that the water crisis could put pressure on water-intensive energy development, [...]