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Taking biofuel crops off land and cultivating them at sea



  3. JanforGore
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The dream of tackling climate change with biofuels has been tarnished by the rush to produce them on land. Not only are there serious environmental costs, including deforestation, water use, production of greenhouse gases, and energy-efficiency limitations, but there are rising concerns about the effects on the world's poor. Already the price of food is being driven up as land is taken away from food production, increasing the cost of food and nutrition for those who can least afford it.

It is curious then that, bar a brief mention in a recent paper on sustainable biofuels by the UK-based Royal Society, the potential for biomass production at sea is largely ignored.

A vast resource

The oceans are the largest active carbon sink on the planet, covering more than 70 per cent of its surface area, and are predicted to grow as sea levels rise. Our seas also receive a larger proportion of the world's sunshine than land does, particularly in the tropical and subtropical belt where land is more scarce. To agriculturalists, the oceans are vast and grossly underused fields well-provided with sunlight and water.

The full potential for sea cultivation (mariculture) has only recently been recognised. The 'blue revolution' of freshwater aquaculture and mariculture is growing exponentially.

Statistics from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization show mariculture is strongest in Asia and the Pacific. While aquaculture production has risen sixty-fold since the early 1950s (to 59.4 million tonnes in 2004) and is worth around US$70 billion, 91.5 per cent of this was produced in Asia and the Pacific.

Similarly, 99.8 per cent of the eight million or so tonnes of seaweed produced each year, with a market of nearly US$6 billion, come from Asia and the Pacific, primarily China, Japan and Korea.

Seaweeds as fuel

Until now, seaweed has been valued mainly as food, but also as fertiliser, animal feed, and recently for a growing phycocolloid industry producing algin, agar and carrageenan. But it could also be a major fuel.
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After reading this it looks like a partial solution that could be viable. It frees up land for use to grow food, will not use up scarce water resources, and does not use up carbon resources as other energy sources do.
JanforGore

14 responses // Taking biofuel crops off land and cultivating them at sea

  • That's awesome. Sounds good. Hope it's sustainable. Sound like it so far!

    I'm hearing Bush quack away (about "global climate change" no less...) on Democracy Now! and I think I'm going to throw up.
    onechance
  • This is great. I'm getting tired of hearing talk against biofuels based on food shortages. Rather than making excuses to turn away from alternative energies we need to focus on actual solutions such as this.
    sapere_aude
  • The multi billion $ oil and coal industries will fight this to the end . The corporation is required by law to put the interests of the corporation above all else. Includeing the wellbeing of humanity. This alone is proof that these corporate yes men in our government are Fascists looking for the next donation.
    Whatever happened to the days of "yes we can" I'm sick of this defeatest attitude that has become acceptable as a political platform. The whole concept of Me over We has been led by the most poorly educated. We can accomplish anything. Seaweed can be harvested 3 times per year on average. Nothing will be accomplished in this country until the media starts working for the people instead of for the corporation.
    victimofcoal
  • i agree, there are definitely solutions to this and we need to have a more hopeful attitude about finding them and telling politicians and these companies that THEY have no choice now but to do what is right to preserve our species and this planet. I think there is more research that needs to be done on this as to how it would get from the sea to the tank (if plants would also have to built to refine this into fuel, where, cost, etc., and the carbon cost of that) and we will have to stand up to oil companies... But I'm ready to do it. Gas in my neigborhood has surpassed 4.25 a gallon (and that is cheap compared to down South) and I only see it going higher. I'm tired of paying money to support this war of empire.The way to end this war also is to fight for cleaner alternate energy sources now and to cut down driving as much as possible. I just hope if this catches on that these big companies don't try to take it over as well.
    JanforGore
  • The world has plenty of arable land for food to feed the world and loads left over for bio fuels.

    The Problem is management.
    Farms in Europe are paid to Leave fields empty.
    African dictators destroy beautiful land, look at Zimbabwe, that alone could feed most of africa...
    Countries exporting rice, while the inhabitants can't pay the premium for it.

    Ireland knows the last one very well, when the potatoes failed, the wheat and barley and other crops were still taken by the english and sold...
    Owwmykneecap
  • So how do you solve that problem?
    JanforGore
  • I suppose the easist one to fix is actually Zimbabwe, even mugabe is (very belatedly) trying to fix it.
    Bring back white farmers with knowledge.

    But of course the real key is he needs to go.
    The african union and neighbouring countries should be doing something, South Africa's been a particular disgrace.

    Encouraging fair trade, actually elevates pressure off European farmers, who can't produce stuff for pennies, so if fair trade means that the cheap foreign imports cost a little more, they aren't so attractive other than in ethical ways. (i know that sounds a little bizarre)

    Governments taking an interest in where food goes, in countries where it is all being exported. I'm not calling for the nationalisation of farms, but possible limits on exports, perhaps the gov buying a certain percent...

    I don't know, somehow i think it will take more than that...

    Another problem is of course American cars guzzle gas.
    And $4 is not expensive, it's really cheap...just don't get vehicles that do 10mpg
    Owwmykneecap
  • anyone care to mention how Ireland has become one of the fastest growth economies within a thousand or so miles of themselves?

    lower taxes.

    sorry, guys...

    check it out. they lowered business taxes and the economy exploded [upwards, in a good way.] lots of bright, hard-working people there...

    anyone want to counter that?
    URL, please...
    plusaf
    1 response to this
  • @onechance... no, we're not broke, by any of several measures, despite what the media would have you think. they make THEIR money by creating Excitement, not Enthusiasm.

    our economy is NOT "in shambles" by any number of measures, for the same reasons.

    and your comment about "line their pockets" perpetuates a myth i've commented about for literally three or four decades or more....

    the "rich" do not EAT or BURN their money, even if [and i CERTAINLY AGREE...] they're not worth the ridiculous salaries they get......

    their money goes to buy THINGS [the manufacture of which employs people] and goes into INVESTMENTS or even BANKS where it moves into the economy and marketplace and is loaned out or invested in companies for products and services that EMPLOY PEOPLE.

    just stop and think a minute... if you OR some "rich bastard" puts money "into" something, whether it's a CD, savings account, stock or bond investment or ANYTHING OTHER than under their mattress... what "happens" to that money?!

    it doesn't sit on a computer as a balance to print out.

    it goes places, moves around and DOES THINGS that are no longer under the control of the person or bank or investment firm or whatever who put it there!

    have you heard of the term "velocity of money"? it refers to how FAST that money MOVES through the economy!

    even if Halliburton and Blackwater are a bunch of crooks, when they get our tax dollars, they don't eat 'em or burn 'em. we may not get our money's worth BACK on that "investment" but again, they don't burn em. they buy things with 'em, hire people with 'em and if they buy things to make other things explode with the money, they BOUGHT that from someone who hired someone to MAKE it!

    do you see that that's really what happens? please?!

    another example: google something like "gross national product" for the US. write down the number.

    then google something like "mortgage defaults" and find the TOTAL dollars that it represents.

    then see what fraction of the Big number the Other number is... it's a LOT smaller fraction than the Media would have you GET EXCITED about [without doing some simple math!]

    hang in there... it's tough, but worth figuring out.
    plusaf
    1 response to this
  • You know some living forest might mean refuge for species that relied previously on reefs.
    arturogarza
  • Sapere_aude: Exactly. And don't think certain interests aren't behind this sudden demonization of biofuels. They have now raised their propaganda to the level where people now believe any biofuel is bad for the planet when that just isn't true. Ethanol as we know has proven to be so, but there are many we have not even begun to research which would be less water and carbon intensive like hemp and seaweed. I have simply come to the conclusion that the more people complain the more they are actually afraid to really change. They want the change, but not if it changes their own comfort level.
    JanforGore
  • @onechance.. "Thanks for the explanation. I was also thinking about the pallets of cash that were found... sitting there... and the other billions gone "missing" from blackwater contracts. They may be used (ie. spent) or they may be so terribly mis-managed that they are literally buried. Have you heheard about that missing money? "

    like the however-many millions of USD's found in that room in Mexico, stashed by the drug lords?

    a pittance. a microscopic amount, compared to the amount of cash circulating through the US economy or the world's....

    and, by the way, buried or stashed or non-circulating "mattress money" LOSES VALUE to inflation and devaluation EVERY DAY....

    real investing wizards, aren't they, to deliberately lose money on a regular basis by socking it away like that?

    you prove my points. thank you.
    :)
    plusaf

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