The Question of Ethanol

The production and use of biofuels, especially ethanol, in the transportation sector has been a debate since the beginning of their introduction as a possible mainstream alternative to fossil fuels. The use of food crops to produce fuel and the impact it is having on food prices is the most recent argument against the use of ethanol and other biofuels. As a solution, investors have begun promoting the use of grasses and weeds to make ethanol. However, this solution may also cause severe problems. At a United Nations meeting last week, several scientists from the Global Invasive Species Program, the Nature Conservancy and the International Union for Conservation of Nature reported that many of the plants proposed as the solution to using food crops for ethanol production are invasive species that could cause significant economic and ecological problems if they were to be grown and harvested at a large or even small scale. Is it time to wave goodbye to ethanol? [Sources: New York Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe]