Clearing ecosystems to make way for the planting of biofuel crops as a means of reducing harmful greenhouse gases would only worsen global warming a study has found.
Research by the University of Minnesota and Nature Conservancy has shown clearing land for biofuels to be counter-productive as more greenhouse gases would be released into the atmosphere from the cleared plants and the Earth would lose valuable ecosystems which act as natural sponges to absorb existing carbon emissions.
The carbon, which is stored in the original plants and soil, is released as carbon dioxide and recovering this "carbon debt" may take decades say the researchers in a statement.
"We don't have proper incentives in place because landowners are rewarded for producing palm oil and other products but not rewarded for carbon management," said University of Minnesota Applied Economics professor Stephen Polasky, an author of the study. "This creates incentives for excessive land clearing and can result in large increases in carbon emissions."
"This research examines the conversion of land for biofuels and asks the question 'Is it worth it?'," said lead author Joe Fargione, a scientist for The Nature Conservancy. "And surprisingly, the answer is no."
Biofuels, the making of fuel from plants, was considered better than traditional fossil fuels in the release of damaging greenhouse gases. However this assumption has come under attack in recent months.
"If you're trying to mitigate global warming, it simply does not make sense to convert land for biofuels production," said Fargione. "All the biofuels we use now cause habitat destruction, either directly or indirectly. Global agriculture is already producing food for six billion people. Producing food-based biofuel, too, will require that still more land be converted to agriculture."
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