Biomass key for low-carbon energy, spurs food prices
Greater use of woody fuels is vital to slash global carbon emissions but fast advances in crop yields will be needed to avoid driving up food prices, members of Germany’s Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found.
Biofuels are already widely used in the United States, Europe and Brazil to substitute for gasoline and diesel, but are made from crops including sugar, oilseeds and corn which has driven concerns they are stoking food prices.
That has led to calls for more advanced versions, made from woody biomass from trees and grasses like miscanthus, which can also be burned in furnaces to generate heat and power.
The comprehensive study of food, water, forest and energy impacts, published online on Thursday, found biomass could help the world meet ambitious carbon emissions targets but threatened natural forests and wildlife and could drive food prices higher.
The paper concluded that biomass made most sense in an approach that protected natural forests, piling even more pressure on farmland and so depending on yield advances to avoid deadly food price spikes in the future. (Reuters)
