The Extraordinary Collapse of Jatropha as a Global Biofuel;
By 2008, Jatropha had already been planted over an estimated 900000 ha globally of which an overwhelming 85% was in Asia, 13% in Africa and the rest in Latin America, and by 2015 Jatropha is expected to be planted on 12.8 million ha worldwide.
[…]
It appears to be an extreme case of a well intentioned top down climate mitigation approach, undertaken without adequate preparation and ignoring conflict of interest, and adopted in good faith by other countries, gone awry bringing misery to millions of poorest people across the world. And it happened because the principle of “due diligence” before taking up large ventures was ignored everywhere.
But wait! There’s more!
As an immediate step an international body like the FAO may have to intervene…
In other words, someone to finish the job.
You know, I know next to nothing about agriculture on this scale, but I do have a tiny inkling…
Something that produces energy , for nothing, like this supposedly does doesn’t exist:
It probably needs good soils/climate – that oily energy goodness is coming from somewhere, soil extraction and sun +water. This means you can probably grow food there better and cheaper.
If it produces something oily and energetic something will eat it. That something probably is a bug, those bugs will proliferate in plantations.
If it’s not already being grown in largish quantities by humans somewhere ( because it’s a fabulous plant) there’s probably something wrong with it as a agricultural staple.
Gee, look at me, I know next to nothing about this damn plant and I’m ALREADY suspicious about pushing the planting of it large scale until you do a couple of generations of ag. experiments and plant breeding on it to understand the improve it.
I mean seriously EVERY SINGLE ag crop planted today has had serious multi-generational work done on improving and optimizing it.
This should be different?
Ah, but if you do Ag studies and maybe fix an unfortunate tendency to root-rot or something, it becomes “Franken-Fuel”, and will genetically transform any engine it’s burned in.
Or anyway, that’s what my Greenpeace buds will probably say. They always do.
A fool’s gold tissue of PC lies and ignorance being fronted by brain fried hippie marxists and con artists?
Thank goodness this has never happened before and this “project” has brought a timely warning to all
governments on what to avoid.
.
“It appears to be an extreme case of a well intentioned top down climate mitigation approach, undertaken without adequate preparation and ignoring conflict of interest, and adopted in good faith by other countries, gone awry bringing misery to millions of poorest people across the world.”
Oh well. They’re just people, right? What is wrong with seducing them with dreams of feeding themselves or their families only to have it peter out in the end?
Burning sugar cane makes more sense than burning corn.
That is a fact.
And meanwhile,the MSM pimps and their gubermint whores are all screaming about millions dying in Africa from hunger and wanting our bucks to help,which our wonderful politicians have said they will match buck for buck(OK…my tax bucks).Maybe if the drove Kia crap,they could eat instead of dying?
Somebody should be in jail for murder for this bio-fuel crap.
The final sentence in full is, “As an immediate step an international body like the FAO may have to intervene
to stop further extension of Jatropha in new areas without adequate research inputs.
Greater investments in dissemination of scientific data will help in ensuring due diligence does not cause undue delays in decision making.”
Freely translated, it says, “we f*cked up so we will fix it by doing the
same thing again”. Note also the calm assurance
that the FAO can and should interfere in the affairs of a sovereign nation.
Justthinkin
True enough but sadly unlikely.
“….undertaken without adequate preparation and ignoring conflict of interest…..”
Were’t those that decided these things the same that went to school for a long time to learn how to take care of themselves? Well, they are, what’s the problem.
To the ruling class. it’s just collateral damage. Nothing they would be worried about.
Now they can start mass hysteria about the poor here there and everywhere and ask for your contribution either voluntary or enforced.
Problem solved. Perpetrators turned into heroes.
Works every time.
You mean it was all just HYPE, in the first place?
THis is why almost every mass starvaion of humans in history, is man made.
Some people have missed the point.
Jatropha is a viable fuel plant, BUT it has to be irrigated to produce enough oil to be competitive with petro diesel. Planting jatropha is motivated by profit not by some misguided ‘save the world’ green initiative. Greenies don’t invest money in jatropha plantations.
Third world countries use irrigation to produce high value crops for export, not to feed their starving millions. Jatropha is no different.
Please explain the subject title:
We Don’t Need No Stinking French Fry Grease
What do you suggest doing with the used fryer oil other than turning it into fuel? Are you suggesting it should be discarded in landfills?
OR maybe it’s a clever play on words with the double negative which grammatically means “We Need French Fry Grease”?
Consider this fact: For every BTU of petro energy used to produce veg-oil about 4 – 5 BTUs of biodiesel is produced. This is an excellent use for non-food grade canola. Press out the oil and the seed cake is still excellent animal feed.
Don’t make the foolish assumption that just because the greenies tout something that it’s bad. Biodiesel has been around a lot longer than the greenies. It’s just one more thing they’ve jumped on with their idiotic ‘save the world from humans’ campaign.
If they genuinely wanted to save the world from the damage by humans then they would be supporting population control instead of wasting money on starving 3rd world people who can’t feed themselves.
North of 60
The bottom line is population control…
The bottom line is population control…
Of course it is, any one smart enough to operate a computer should know that. Are you suggesting I implied otherwise?
No. What number do you figure is optimum…2b?
North – it’s a catch-all subject line indicating the post is about biofuels. So, like, take it easy.
The optimum population density is whatever that region can sustainably feed. More fertile regions can support a higher population density.
The millions sent to Ethiopia decades ago did nothing but allow the population to double and move to the cities where they can’t feed themselves.
The misguided do-gooders should leave the Horn of Africa alone to find it’s sustainable population level. Meddling only makes it worse.
So regional sustainability it is then…
“…. 4 – 5 BTUs of biodiesel is produced.”
Show your work.
ron in kelowna
the btu multiplying machine is extremely proprietary…don’t ya know?
Population control in all its various forms from a bullet, to mass abortion, to mass starvation is one
thing most potential ruling marxists around the world seem to have embedded in their DNA.
Probably population levels in feudal times would come pretty close to their ideal target.
.
Sgt Lejaune
That sounds about right…feudal sustainability it is…
Didn’t Soylent Green start out this way?
Brian M
No…that’s how it ends…
I do some of my best thinking/reflecting in the shower….
TRIFIDS….
I’m still pondering…perhaps this will inspire others……
“…. 4 – 5 BTUs of biodiesel is produced.”
Show your work.
Newly published research from the University of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) indicates that every unit of fossil energy needed to produce biodiesel returns 5.54 units of renewable energy, a higher trend than researchers said is found in regular diesel or other alternative fuels.
http://www.uiweb.uidaho.edu/bioenergy/EnergyLCAJune2011.pdf
Researchers called this energy-in, energy-out ratio the “energy balance” or “fossil energy ratio.” Biodiesel made from soybeans, for example, benefits from “free” energy from the sun. The study compared biodiesel with other alt fuels including liquefied propane and natural gas. Gasoline was also studied.
the btu multiplying machine is extremely proprietary…don’t ya know?Posted by: syncrodox at August 7, 2011 8:23 PM
Only for those who don’t know how to use a search engine.
hint: it’s a nuclear reactor; some call it “the sun”
Computers can be used for more than discussion boards, gambling, games and porn, …don’t ya know?
the btu multiplying machine is extremely proprietary…don’t ya know?
Only for those who don’t know how to use a search engine.
hint: it’s a nuclear reactor; some call it “the sun”
Computers can be used for more than discussion boards, g@mbling, g@mes and p0rn, …don’t ya know?
Another triumph of central planning.
Becaue of biofuel NS is experiencing a gas shortage. Why because the producer has to store a government mandate amount of that fuel, it’s expensive and danagerous to maintain but alas Harper had to appease the econuts and we suffer because of his stupid policy change.
Everything the commie environmental movement touches turns to lead, costs a lot of money, doesn’t work and in some cases costs many lives. Always with someone else’s money.
Here we go again.
I’m so turned off and anything “green” or “eco” I will avoid what ever it is.
Good thing us folks here in Ontario would never fall for anything that stupid, eh? 😉
“…Newly published research from the University of Idaho and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)…”
We were long overdue for an unbiased study….
Here is an interesting article about jatropha
http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/may/05/jatropha-biofuels-food-crops
I can make fuel for my truck from used fryer oil for about $0.75 per liter. When mixed with petro diesel in my 20 year old truck, it reduces tailpipe pollution to the standards set for new vehicles.
You have a problem with that?
“…I can make fuel for my truck from used fryer oil for about $0.75 per liter. When mixed with petro diesel in my 20 year old truck, it reduces tailpipe pollution to the standards set for new vehicles…”
Hell, we can buy coloured diesel, delivered in our tanks for 0.84 cents.
And we instead of spending all that time and trouble running around to restaurants, and doin’ all that blending, etc., we use our spare time for hunting.