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However, the enthusiasm for biofuels has led to deforestation as natural forests in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been cleared to plant oil palms, considered to be one of the best and cheapest sources of biodiesel. Large areas of the Amazon have been burned to plant more sugar and soybeans. This has led to habitat destruction for animals, and the monoculture of plantations replacing the variety of species in native forests.  Almost 50,000 acres of forest a day are lost. Because that number includes the planting of plantation forests, it masks the true loss of tropical forests, which is almost 100,000 acres a day, or more than twice the size of Washington DC. Deforestation is the largest cause of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. <ref>http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/lib/dhlrefweblog.nsf/dx/13032007044743PMSLKSF7.htm</ref>

However, the enthusiasm for biofuels has led to deforestation as natural forests in countries such as Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand have been cleared to plant oil palms, considered to be one of the best and cheapest sources of biodiesel. Large areas of the Amazon have been burned to plant more sugar and soybeans. This has led to habitat destruction for animals, and the monoculture of plantations replacing the variety of species in native forests.  Almost 50,000 acres of forest a day are lost. Because that number includes the planting of plantation forests, it masks the true loss of tropical forests, which is almost 100,000 acres a day, or more than twice the size of Washington DC. Deforestation is the largest cause of increasing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. <ref>http://unhq-appspub-01.un.org/lib/dhlrefweblog.nsf/dx/13032007044743PMSLKSF7.htm</ref>

In the US, the use of corn to produce ethanol encourages monoculture farming, which uses more fossil fuels than the value of the energy produced and leaves soils eroded and water polluted. There is about a 13% reduction of carbon dioxide though. <ref>http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/12/05/olmstead/</ref>

A recent 10-year evaluation of native grassland perennials by the University of Minnesota concluded that biofuels from this source could displace about 13% of global petroleum without losing agricultural land. Their study indicated that the process was carbon negative in that it removed more carbon dioxide from the atmosphere than was released by the combustion of fossil-fuel during the processes involved in agriculture, transportation and processing. Opponents of this kind of land use point out, however, that in the US the use of corn to produce ethanol encourages monoculture farming, which leaves soils eroded and water polluted. <ref> http://www.grist.org/news/maindish/2006/12/05/olmstead/</ref>

 

There is a concern that the production of biofuels will have an adverse impact on food prices, which will particularly affect poor people, who spend a larger percentage of their income on food than wealthy people. <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5369284.stm</ref>

There is a concern that the production of biofuels will have an adverse impact on food prices, which will particularly affect poor people, who spend a larger percentage of their income on food than wealthy people. <ref>http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/5369284.stm</ref>

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[[category:science]]