There’s a lot of discussion about biofuels in the market–and they’ve been hyped by many as a solution to much of the fossil fuel crisis. But issues have cropped up, ranging from their reasonably poor efficiency in engines, to their impact on the price of foods. However, as experts at conference recently reminded the world, there’s another major issue that’s often overlooked: water.
It’s all very well cutting reliance on imported oil, but growing your own fuels does demand an awful lot of water. See more here.
In the future “food production will need to increase, water consumption will increase dramatically in the agriculture sector and biofuels will increase. This doesn’t add up for the water perspective,” [Johan Kuylenstierna, director of the World Water Week conference] added.
“Where will the water to grow the food needed to feed a growing population come from if more and more water is diverted to crops for biofuels production?” asked Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) spokesman David Trouba.