FOOD VERSUS FUEL: CAN WE AVOID CONFLICT?

Rosillo-Calle, Francisco

Resumo:

The aims of this chapter are: i) to present the main food versus biofuel debate arguments and the moral/ethical dilemmas, ii) assess the role of the agricultural sector and land use competition, iii) examine the impacts on food prices, subsidies, GHG and energy balance, iv) outline the potential implications of the second generation of biofuels, v) assess sustainability issues, and vi) identify major RDAndamp;D gaps. There is an on-going debate on biofuels which has focused primarily on the overall social and environmental benefits, and land use competition. The food versus fuel debate is not, however, new (e.g. see Rosillo-Calle and Hall, 1987), but it has intensified significantly in 2007 and 2008 partly because the sharp increase in food prices largely blamed on biofuels. Also, new evidence has recently emerged on the overall GHG benefits of biofuels for which there is currently little consensus. In addition, there are widely diverging views on the sustainability of the current and future development of biofuels. These uncertainties are partly the consequence of lack of long term data which can only be addressed by investigating many of the existing RAndamp;D gaps, to gain better understanding of the full implication of biofuels.

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DOI: 10.5151/9788521208228-SUGARCANEBIOETHANOL_13

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Como citar:

ROSILLO-CALLE, Francisco; "FOOD VERSUS FUEL: CAN WE AVOID CONFLICT?", p. 101-114. Sugarcane bioethanol — R&D for Productivity and Sustainability. São Paulo: Blucher, None.
ISBN: 9788521208228, DOI 10.5151/9788521208228-SUGARCANEBIOETHANOL_13