Biofuel Comparison Chart: The "Good," the Bad and the (Really) Ugly

biofuel comparison chart
Chart courtesy of Seattle P.-I.

Courtesy of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer comes this nifty side-by-side comparison chart (see here for a blown-up version). The article does a nice job of running through the (many) problems associated with biofuels, citing two studies by The Nature Conservancy and a team of U.S. scientists.

As the article implies, biofuels can be part of the solution if -- and that's a big "if" -- their production is cost/energy-efficient and doesn't displace food crops or native habitats (easier said than done). In light of the current international food crisis, it should go without saying that producing biofuels from corn and soybeans is a big no-no -- one that, unfortunately, the U.S. and EU are only aggravating through their idiotic subsidy programs.

There are some hopeful signs that the EU, facing overwhelming criticism from scientists and international NGOs, may begin to reign in some of its support for the bloc's overly generous biofuel rules. It could yet take a while, but here's hoping good science and common sense eventually prevail.

Via ::The Oil Drum: Peak Oil Media: Food v. (Bio)fuel, Fast Money saying "It's Supply, Stupid" and Cramer on Ending the Ethanol Mandate (blog)