? bio fuels ?

Question

why do we not irrugate /set up giant hydroponics systems in the desrt and baren land of the world to supply bi fuels we have the mney and the technology to do so ;so why do we destroy woodlands/rain forests beetween the major petroleom companys and fast food giants they have the money and its them that drive this so why not make them sort the prblem or is because goverments are to scared to stand up to big companys

Answer 1

Water scarcity is as major if not a more major concern than fuel scarcity, you can live without fuel. To divert the amount of fresh water to the desert that would be needed to undertake such a venture would not only be environmentally destructive, it would also remove water from people who need it to live. It would also be very costly.

Answer 2

have you ever seen the goverment not s***w something up?  let capitolism sort it out.  i e  drill over here, once the liberals let us

Answer 3

Well I live in the desert and well water is pretty scarce, but there is still irrigation of crops, but I don't there is enough to supply the world with bio fuels. But I do believe the answer to the fuel problem is in the desert. What I mean is this company http://www.valcent.net/s/Home.asp has  a research and development plant about 50 miles from me in Vinton, NM. they are using algae to produce bio fuels and so far they have found a a species of algae that is producing over 10,000 gallons of oil per acre for bio fuels. On top of that they are making bio diesel right now for about 25 cents a gallon, they aren't selling it since they are just research and development company but I think they may just have the answer large scale production is the next step.

Answer 4

This is pretty big thinking and I'm sure that if the right people put their mind to it it could be workable - as the other respondent with the algae example makes clear.

The desert offers the opportunity for clear skys, and hence uninterupted sunshine. This could be sent to parabolic reflectors which would create enough heat to evaporate sea water, taking out the salt content. This would give fresh water for your hydroponics plants. It all comes down to necessity level though, at the moment the oil companies are extracting loads of oil very cheaply so why do they care about looking for alternatives? I'm sure the government can't make them do anything. If you search Youtube for Lindsey Williams he has some very interesting thoughts on oil in an 8 part lecture series he gives.

Answer 5

the cost of ceral is rising partly as a result of rising oil prices and the cerals being diverted into Bio. but I do think that the set a side in Europe should stop and the superty given to produce grain/ rape seed