Are we running on empty on Biofuels? Biofuels and Climate Change Biofuels and Climate Change Presentation by Presentation by AGHAM AGHAM Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan
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Are we running on empty on Biofuels?
Biofuels and Climate ChangeBiofuels and Climate Change
Presentation byPresentation by
AGHAMAGHAMSamahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa SambayananSamahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan
What is climate change?
Accelerated warming of surface due to human-related releases of greenhouses gases
Projections of Surface Temperature ChangeProjections of Surface Temperature Change
Accelerated temperature change
1900’s – hottest century
2005 and 1998 – hottest years;
1995 to 2006, (except 1996) =
Top 12 hottest years since 1850
Increase in temperature
in the last 50 years was
0.13 degrees centigrade/decade
which is twice faster
than the last 100 years
of 0.6 degrees centigrade
Greenhouse Gases
Carbon dioxide CO2 - 54.9% second most common GHG. makes up about 25% of the natural greenhouse effect. Burning of oil and gas (for heat, transportation, industry), cement manufacturing, deforestation and other land uses. Also occurs naturally through photosynthesis, volcanoes, forest fires. Methane CH4 - third most common GHG ; Oil and gas production, coal mining, rice paddies, dams, landfills. Occurs naturally as things decompose and from livestock digestion.
Nitrous oxide N2O - Burning of oil, gas, coal, and wood, fertilizers, coal mining. Also occurs naturally.
OTHERS: Water vapor, Sulfur hexafluoride SF6, Perfluocarbons PFCs, Hydroflurocarbons HFCs
Adverse Impacts Agriculture
• Productivity in tropics/subtropics; food shortage Water Resources
• Water availability + quality; floods and droughts; hydropower sources
People's Health
• Vector and water borne disease, heat stress, nutrition, EWE deaths
Coastal Areas and Fisheries
Species and Natural Areas
• Biodiversity loss Forests
Human Displacement
Malaria and Climate
Climate suitability for stable malaria transmission across the diverse topography of Zimbabwe, based on United Kingdom Meteorological Office (UKMO) global climate scenarios
Relationship between temperature and malaria parasite development time
Source: Patz, Jonathan A. and Olson, Sarah H. (2006) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 103, 5635-5636
2000 2050
Source: Science Magazine, Sep 16, 2005
Hurricanes/Typhoons(Category 4/5)
Crop Yield Change
Source: IPCC TAR
2020s
2080s
Developing countries are Developing countries are most vulnerable most vulnerable
Impacts are worse
− Lower capacity to adapt
− Lack of financial, institutional and technological capacity and access to knowledge
Impact disproportionately upon the poorest countries and the poorest persons within countries
− Exacerbating inequities in health status and access to adequate food, clean water and other resources.
The poor face greatest The poor face greatest challenges from climate challenges from climate changechange
2 billion people in developing countries affected by climate related disaster in the 1990s.
The rate has doubled this decade.
-
1,000
2,000
3,000
4,000
1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s
Nu
mb
er
aff
ec
ted
(Mill
ion
s)
Dev'ed
CIT
Dev'ing
LDC
Tonnes oil equivalent
Consumption per capita 2006
Souce: BPStatistical Review of World Energy
Top CO2 emissions
United States and TNCs
GHGs in RP 1999, Philippines emitted
75,998,000 metric tons of CO2 or 0.3% of world total emission.
From 1990 to 1999 our CO2 emission increased by 72%.
Loss of forest cover
Deforestration Mining
What are biofuels?
Transport fuels from organic material
− biodiesel (vegetable oils)
− bioethanol (sugar and starch) Research to commercialise
“second-generation” biofuels from woody material, grasses and waste.
− ligno-cellulosic matter, biomass
Biofuels Act 2006
Mandate for all gasoline users and oil companies to blend the fuel they sell with either biodiesel or bioethanol
5% blending of Ethanol into Gasoline while 1% Biodiesel in Petro diesel for the first 4 years upon signing of the Bill into Law
Biofuels Act stated objectives Develop and utilize indigenous renewable and
sustainably-sourced clean energy sources to reduce dependence on imported oil;
Mitigate toxic and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions;
Increase rural employment and income; and Ensure the availability of alternative and
renewable clean energy without any detriment to the natural ecosystem, biodiversity and food reserves of the country.
Biofuels Act objectives
Replacing fossil fuels with biofuels could provide environmental benefits
− decrease in air pollution (sulfur oxides, nitrous oxides, ground-level ozone, global-warming pollutants, and others)
− decrease water pollution from petroleum spills
− decrease in land destruction from oil drilling
Reduction of fossil fuel byproducts
Advocates say that petroleum refining has many toxic byproducts
− heavy metals, xylene, benzene, etc.
These would be replaced with a very short list of less toxic byproducts of biorefineries
− Ethanol production byproducts
BIOFUELS RUSH
European Union has mandated that 10% of transportation fuels be derived from plant biomass by 2020.
In the United States, George Bush stated a goal of replacing 20% of U.S. transportation fuel with ethanol by 2017.
China, Japan, India and other countries are also working towards fueling their burgeoning economies with biofuels.
Brazil is already producing 40% of transportation fuels from sugar cane ethanol and soya biodiesel.
Source: EIA/DOE, Comissão Européia; Copersucar
Potential of the ethanol market
Possible environmental impacts
Efficiency in energy production
Increased water use
Increased fertilizer and pesticide use
Reduction of greenhouse gases emission
Effect on soil and water quality;
Food crop conversion
Forest conversion
Energy costs in producing biofuels
Hidden cost in fossil fuels production: from plant material millions of years old
Biofuels depend on conversion of energy crops to fuels
− Net energy value (NEV) of at least 1.3 to 1.67 (USDA) for corn to ethanol
However, other costs could make the net energy value negative
The water demand of a large biofuel facility does have the potential to significantly impact local water supplies
Large hectarage converted to biofuel production without massive irrigation facilities
Clearing of rain forest and other habitats of high nature value for biofuel production can cause environmental damage.
Increased water pollution
Ethanol plants discharge more concentrated sediment- and nutrient water back into the environment
TDS (total dissolved solids) and chloride levels can rise
Increase in fertilizer use
Biofuel production rely heavily on petroleum inputs
− Ammonia fertilizer, etc
− Nitrogenous compounds is a major source of to ground water and surface water pollution.
Possible soil abuse and water pollution should be avoided
Increased petroleum inputs might offset greenhouse gas reductions
Greenhouse gas emissions Biofuels are not “clean” burning;
they are just a bit of “cleaner” burning
Carbon based fuels still contribute air pollutants
Not the cheapest way to get greenhouse gas savings
− One of the few measures that can be done alongside improvements in vehicle efficiency
New crops for biofuels
BT Corn, Jathropa, Grass plants, other perennial energy crops (coconuts)
What are the long term and large scale effects of planting these crops?
− Effects on food production& food security
− On agrarian reform
− On its long term economic value
Deforestation, monoculture plantations, and loss of
biodiversity Brazil – planned expansion of sugar cane production,
from current 6 M has. to 30M has. More
Argentina – more than 500,000 has of forest lands converted to soya plantations (1998-2002)
Nicaragua -200,000 has slated for palm oil for biodiesel
Indonesia and Malaysia – expansion of palm oil plantations further threatened populations of orangutan, rhinoceros, tigers and other animals on brink of extinction