[Peakoil] Mexico sees future with biofuels.

[W & C Steensby]

The CSIRO has published a report, "Flight path to sustainable aviation", http://www.csiro.au/resources/sustainable-aviation-fuel-report.html, which reckons that by 2050 Australia could be obtaining 50% of its aviation fuel from biomass.

I've read the report only quickly, and what the authors propose looks vaguely feasible. But the whole idea of growing transport fuels is deeply worrying. If could aim for a steady-state it might be achievable, but the growthist mentality must inevitably lead to replication in Australia of situations like the palm oil monoculture in Indonesia. That is, most of all biodiversity is sacrificed to produce ever more quantities of biofuel.

And it's only 50%, and in 40 years' time. Have we run out of time? What state might the rest of the world be in as the crude oil supply steadily dwindles? Will Australia's economy be vibrant enough in 2050 to sustain much of an aviation industry?

Cheers,
Walter Steensby

On 2011/08/15, at 06:27, Keith Thomas wrote:

> Unfortunately, there is a stream of reports showing that the production of biofuel crops in countries without effective controls and restraints leads to deforestation, "soil mining", indiscriminate pesticide use, soil erosion, displacement of traditional land owners, and all the other consequences you would expect from capitalist exploitation of the environment for quick profit.
> -----------------------------
> Keith Thomas
> www.evfit.com
> -----------------------------
> 
> On 14/08/2011, at 9:54 AM, Jenny Goldie wrote:
> 
> Mexico sees future with biofuels. 
> Mexico has quietly positioned itself to become a potential leader in biofuel production as scientists develop a second generation of fuels derived from sources that don't compete for arable land or with food. Jatropha-based biofuels are being increasingly used in Mexico, and agave is being studied as a new source for ethanol
> http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/americas/08/12/mexico.biofuels/