Do you know that with all the energy put into making ethanol, it can be equivalent or worse then fossil fuels?

Question

Many environmetalists agree that this is the case. In Brazil, people are cutting down the rainforests to grow the ethonal. Most likely they use the slash and burn technique which only adds more pollutants. I want to know if this can be the same situation here in america.

Answer 1

Yes, I did know that.

Answer 2

Your statement is a common argument the petrochemical moguls use to put down biofuels.

Why are the forest being slashed and burned?   Clearing land is one reason to grow crops typically cash crops so other countries can pay their debts to bankers.   Most of the clear cutting is happening to allow expansion for building - following in large part our US model (which isn't all bad).  Ethanol can be and should be made from fall and waste - many times a crop loss that doesn't make the grade for food could be converted into fuel.  The carbon in ethanol came from the atmosphere and it is returned to the atmosphere.  Fossil was separated from the atmosphere trapped underground and added to the atmosphere creating a net increase.  

Couple good sources for the truth about fossil fuels and renewable sources:

David Blume's 'Alcohol Can Be A Gas'

Roy McAlister's 'The Solar Hydrogen Civilization'