Brazil sugarcane growth can meet biofuel need and not drive deforestation: study

Sugarcane production in Brazil could expand by more than 5 million hectares (19,305 square miles) by 2030 to meet demand for ethanol biofuels, according to a study published in the journal Energy Policy — with potential impacts on the nation’s carbon emissions and deforestation.

Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from crops, such as biodiesel produced from soybeans and ethanol made from fermented corn or sugarcane. They’ve been presented by advocates as a silver bullet for reducing global greenhouse gas emissions, but critics argue that the clearing of native vegetation to make way for biofuel plantations, and the carbon emissions associated with that land-use change, can exceed the emissions savings gained by avoiding fossil fuels.

 

By Claire Asher via Mongabay

 

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