Once a Dream Fuel, Palm Oil May Be an Eco-Nightmare - New York Times

Spurred by government subsidies, energy companies became so enthusiastic that they designed generators that ran exclusively on the oil, which in theory would be cleaner than fossil fuels like coal because it is derived from plants.

But last year, when scientists studied practices at palm plantations in Indonesia and Malaysia, this green fairy tale began to look more like an environmental nightmare.

Rising demand for palm oil in Europe brought about the clearing of huge tracts of Southeast Asian rainforest and the overuse of chemical fertilizer there.

CO2 emmisions are a problem. We’re reaching the point where anthropogenic emissions are comparable to natural emissions. Everyone should do their part to decrease the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere. However, not all “solutions” are actual solutions. In my opinion, biofuels will never be a viable solution. Burning carbonaceous materials will always produce CO2. There is no way around it.

There are solutions besides biofuels that are renewable: solar, wind, geothermal, and tidal. All of these options provide energy without any adverse affects on the atmosphere. Since a lot of our energy is used in the form of electricity, these options work well. Everything you plug into an electrical socket can be powered by these types of energy. Even automobiles can be made to run on pure electricity. But there are some things that need to burn gasoline. I cannot imagine we’ll ever see an electric airplane. And since airplanes are an integral part of the world economy, we need to conserve the fuel that powers them. Or we could invest in technology to replace airplanes.

A high-speed automated underground electric train running between North America and Europe can decrease the number of cargo flights over the North Atlantic. Since the trains would carry no passengers, they could run much faster than if they were populated. The question becomes whether it would be more energy efficient to build the tunnel and run the trains versus the aircraft flying that we currently have. I have a feeling it would cost much more in terms of efficiency, and it would cost way more economically. But I think we need to start funding systems that are economically viable by private businesses. Governments are supposed to protect their citizens. The consequences of climate change - even though they are in the far future - represents a threat to every human, and it’s time for governments to start acting responsibly.

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