Word: fossils
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...according to a pair of studies published in the journal Science recently, biofuels may not fulfill that promise - and in fact, may be worse for the climate than the fossil fuels they're meant to supplement. According to researchers at Princeton University and the Nature Conservancy, almost all the biofuels used today cause more greenhouse gas emissions than conventional fuels, if the full environmental cost of producing them is factored in. As virgin land is converted for growing biofuels, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere; at the same time, biofuel crops themselves are much less effective at absorbing carbon...
...crops - the amount of carbon released in the process of converting natural landscapes into cropland. They found that corn ethanol produced in the U.S. had a carbon debt of 93 years, meaning it would take nearly a century for ethanol, which does produce fewer greenhouse gases when burned than fossil fuels, to make up for the carbon released in that initial landscape conversion. Palm tree biodiesel in Indonesia and Malaysia - one of the most controversial biofuels currently in use, because of its connection to tropical deforestation in those countries - has a carbon debt of 86 years. Soybean biodiesel...
Industry groups like the Renewable Fuels Association criticized the studies for being too simplistic, and failing to put biofuels in context. And it's true that the switch to biofuels can have benefits that go beyond climate change. Biofuels tend to produce less local pollution than fossil fuels, one reason why Brazil - which gets 30% of its automobile fuel from sugar-cane ethanol - has managed to reduce once stifling air pollution. In the U.S., switching to domestically produced biofuels helps cut dependence on foreign oil, and boosts income for farmers. But in all of these cases, the benefits now seem...
...water and energy used Transportation All those SUVs traveling back and forth to the slopes consume a lot of gas In Colorado, Copper Mountain uses energy-efficient buses, and the gondolas at Winter Park Resort serve as public transportation Building materials Nonlocal or nonrecycled materials increase pollution byusing more fossil fuels Roof tiles made from recycled tires are being used at the Westin Riverfront; 80% of the steel used in the Hotel Terra is recycled
...Others see climate change as a pressing threat to national security. This danger is perceived to be physical, in the form of rising seas and superstorms, as well as geopolitical. Remaining addicted to fossil fuels mires the U.S. in the labyrinth of Middle East politics and keeps the country dependent upon oil-rich antagonists such as Iran and Russia. Conservatives who have jumped the fence on global warming have done so chiefly because of this issue. Many were convinced after a panel of retired generals and admirals delivered a report last year warning of the security implications of rising temperatures...