Tuesday, July 23, 2013
The report published by British researchers shows that trees grown to produce biofuel - considered a cleaner alternative to coal and oil - a substance released into the air, mixed with other pollutants, causing reduced agricultural production.
"People think that biofuels are a good thing, because they reduce the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere," says Nick Hewitt, who worked on the study with colleagues at Lancaster University. "What we say is' yes, this is great, but biofuels can also have a detrimental effect on air quality," said Hewitt.
The report published in the scientific journal Nature Climate Change focused on the effects of a program designed by the European Union in which biofuels are produced more to combat climate change. Hewitt says that harmful effects are the same in every place where biofuels are produced in large quantities.
Poplars, willows and eucalyptus trees, three trees that grow quickly are used as a source of biofuel, emit a significant amount of isoprene as they grow, the researchers noted. Isoprene form ozone, a toxic substance when mixed in sunlight with other pollutants.
"Widespread production of biofuels in Europe would have little effect, but signified, the death rate and the productivity of agriculture," says Hewitt.
The report estimates that ozone generated trees used to achieve the target for 2020 set by the European Union would cause 1,400 premature deaths annually, costing the company $ 7.1 billion.
EU plan would reduce the annual amount of wheat and maize crop of 1.5 billion dollars, because ozone reduces productivity of the field, researchers say.
Scientists recommend placing biofuel plantations popluate far from urban centers to limit the production of ozone. They also say that genetic engineering could be used to reduce emissions of isoprene.
Ozone can cause lung problems, considered guilty for the deaths of 22,000 people each year in Europe. In total air pollution (caused mainly by fossil fuels) causes about 500,000 premature deaths each year in Europe.
Burning biofuels is considered to have neutral effects on climate change, because plants absorb carbon dioxide as they grow and release it when they burn or decompose. Fossil fuels, however, adds carbon dioxide to the atmosphere, releasing it from underground deposits.
Biofuels are considered responsible for higher food prices due to competition for agricultural land with plants that produce food crops. In response to these criticisms, the European Commission announced last year that it intended to limit biofuels from agriculture to 5% of all fuel used in transportation.
