I understand that Biofuels have less of an impact on the environment than traditional fuels, great!

But as the global popluation continues to burgeon, don't we need all the available land we have to grow food? Or can biofules be produced from all the parts of a crop that is inedible?

Personally, I think our biggest challenge for the future of the planet is feeding everyone and having enough fresh water. Worrying about polluting the environment by burning fossil fuels seems to be much less of a worry.

Surely the solution to both these problems is an immediate arrest in the increase in global population and strict controls on procreation thereafter!? What a barrel of laughs that would be (not!). The developing countries is where the increases are so stark and we frequently observe the horrific result of populations exceeding the limits of the natural resources available in those areas. There is no thought given to avoiding these deaths. Why don't the governments in those countries wake up and sort things out?

Each individual consumes energy, even the poorest of people, but it shocks me how much wastage of natural resource there is by people in the developed world. This was far less of an issue when there were less people to do the wasting and before banks made loans cheap, thus providing us with more consuming power, which in turn stimulated the production of goods we previously didn't have, want or need! More consumption of natural resources! This is beginning to happen in China and other countries that are experiencing strong growth in their economies. In the 70's, Bejing was awash with bicycles, now it's clogged with cars! Their demand for resources is why we are paying so much more for fuel and food. Will there be enough to go round?

We do need to be mindful of what we are using, but governments worldwide should step in a co-ordinated effort kill off opportunities for the worst offences. They don't though, they just tax us more! One small example would be an immediate ban on the sale of fuel inefficient private vehicles (anything that does less than 40mpg). All we have got so far in the UK is a big hike in the road fund license for the worst polluters. I conclude that the problem is not really being addressed.

My forecast is, within 200 years, the population will grow significanyly in excess of the planet's availble resources, there will be substantial loss of life through fighting, starvation and environmental catastrophies. There will be little fossil fuel left as we will have gone past Peak Oil.

So, is worrying about replacing fossil fuels with biofuels total nonsense? Personally, i think the savings are so insignificant that it's a complete non-issue – a waste of time.

My message to politicians is make positive changes, not tax hikes!

The worst offender is America. They are unbelievably wasteful, but perhaps the recent oil disaster in the gulf of Mexico will make them sit up and think about some of the effects their voracious appetite for fuel is having on the planet. Not a hope! Obama has spent the whole time of this crisis blaming BP for negligence, with the emphasis on it being a British company, despite the rig in question being owned and managed by a Swiss company and that 40% of BP is owned by Americans. They completely misse the point!

The solution has to be global, but how can you get everyone to play ball? No chance! Ever! So whilst we are making savings, other countries continue belching out greenhouse gasses. The UK's total contribution to global man made emissions is 2%. Why bother eh?

Happy days! 😆

nuclear, GM, bicycles, super-insulation, fertility education.

problems solved.

The solution has to be global, but how can you get everyone to play ball? No chance! Ever! So whilst we are making savings, other countries continue belching out greenhouse gasses. The UK's total contribution to global man made emissions is 2%. Why bother eh?

Indeed.
I guess one counter argument, is that if energy prices are destined to rocket, countries that have weaned themselves off old technologies may have an advantage over those with their heads still stuck in the oilsand.
But I dare say other unforeseen events will overtake us.

can biofules be produced from all the parts of a crop that is inedible?

Yes, and we'll see a lot of this in the next couple of years, it been done at pilot plant scale (i.e. industrial estate unit sized plant), just needs someone to figure out how to make it viable on a large scale (you need a lot of plant matter) and seeign as the average car owning commuter probably uses 30kg+ of fuel in a week but doesn't eat anywhere near that much food youve got another question, wheres all the plant waste going to come from?

BP etc are growing algae in glass houses/pools in the desert, which they point out does not impact on land used for food production, but the infractructure required would have made it fertile land anyway, its just tht its more comercialy viable with fuel than food.

We are only feeding the world now due to to massive use of oil. Using it to drive around is very wasteful. Good lectures here by Al Bartlett on Failure to understand the exponential function.

http://www.albartlett.org/presentations/arithmetic_population_energy_video1.html

The current method of governments of just excepting population growth is just pushing back an inevitable problem that nature will solve in a brutal method if people don't take responsibility and stop population growth..

don't we need all the available land we have to grow food?

according to the WHO in the year 2000 the number of people in the world with over nutrition over took the number with under nutrition.

I realise that it over simplifies things to send that piece of cake that i really didn't need earlier to Asia but something can surely be done?

The Great Jam of China

What are the Chinese authorities doing about the huge increase in cars?

Answer: Nothing!

What difference will switching to biofuels make?

Answer: Zilch!

My message to politicians is make positive changes, not tax hikes!

How many politicians have you sent this message to ?
What was their reply ?