A recent editorial in the Toronto Star captured the concern many are expressing around Stephen Harper’s push for th…
A recent editorial in the Toronto Star captured the concern many are expressing around Stephen Harper’s push for the implementation of Bill C-33.
The bill will allow the government to legislate the quantities of biofuel that must be blended with gasoline at 5%.
The concerns over global warming have prompted the move to biofuels, such as ethanol and biodiesel, which burn more cleanly than oil-based gasoline, the Star reported. That’s why the Harper government is committing $2.2 billion to their development and why Liberal Leader Stphane Dion has pushed for doubling the government’s target to 10%. But in their rush to biofuels, the politicians have overlooked the drawbacks of turning food into fuel.
Although biofuels do emit less greenhouse gas than regular gasoline, environmentalists point out that this comparison does not take into account the emissions coming from the farm machinery and fertilizer required to “grow” these new fuels and the trucks for transporting them. When these emissions are added in, critics say, the environmental benefits of biofuels may be negligible. And while biofuels may be doing little for the environment, they are doing the world a great deal of harm by diverting food from hungry people to the feeding of automobiles. Various international agencies have fingered growing demand for biofuels as a principal reason for the skyrocketing food prices.
Parliament should heed NDP Leader Jack Layton, who has lost his own enthusiasm for biofuels, and take more time to consider the implications of Bill C-33 before passing it, the Star editorial noted.
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