Editing Biofuel (section)

=== Biodiversity Loss ===
The expansion of biofuel production, particularly through monoculture farming (growing a single crop on a large scale), poses a significant threat to biodiversity. Large-scale biofuel crop production can lead to:

** '''Habitat Destruction''': The conversion of natural ecosystems into agricultural land can result in the loss of habitats for many plant and animal species, leading to decreased biodiversity.
** '''Soil Degradation''': Monoculture farming can deplete soil nutrients, reduce soil fertility, and increase the need for chemical inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, which can further harm surrounding ecosystems
**** '''Soil Fertility''': Continuous cultivation of biofuel crops without proper crop rotation or sustainable farming practices can lead to soil depletion. Over time, the soil may lose vital nutrients, making it less suitable for farming.


[[Life-cycle assessment]]s of first-generation biofuels have shown large emissions associated with the potential [[land-use change]] required to produce additional biofuel feedstocks.<ref name="Jeswani-2020" /><ref name="Lark Hendricks Smith Pates 2022 p.">{{cite journal |vauthors=Lark TJ, Hendricks NP, Smith A, Pates N, Spawn-Lee SA, Bougie M, Booth EG, Kucharik CJ, Gibbs HK |date=March 2022 |title=Environmental outcomes of the US Renewable Fuel Standard |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |volume=119 |issue=9 |bibcode=2022PNAS..11901084L |doi=10.1073/pnas.2101084119 |doi-access=free |pmc=8892349 |pmid=35165202}}</ref> If no land-use change is involved, first-generation biofuels can—on average—have lower emissions than fossil fuels.<ref name="Jeswani-2020" /> However, biofuel production can compete with food crop production. Up to 40% of corn produced in the United States is used to make ethanol<ref>{{cite news |date=12 June 2022 |title=Food vs fuel: Ukraine war sharpens debate on use of crops for energy |work=Financial Times |url=https://www.ft.com/content/b424067e-f56b-4e49-ac34-5b3de07e7f08 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221210/https://www.ft.com/content/b424067e-f56b-4e49-ac34-5b3de07e7f08 |archive-date=10 December 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live}}</ref> and worldwide 10% of all grain is turned into biofuel.<ref>{{cite news |date=6 June 2022 |title=Guest view: Global hunger fight means no biofuel |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/breakingviews/guest-view-global-hunger-fight-means-no-biofuel-2022-06-06/}}</ref> A 50% reduction in grain used for biofuels in the US and Europe would replace all of [[Ukraine]]'s grain exports.<ref>{{cite news |date=14 March 2022 |title=Cutting biofuels can help avoid global food shock from Ukraine war |work=New Scientist |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2312151-cutting-biofuels-can-help-avoid-global-food-shock-from-ukraine-war/}}</ref> Several studies have shown that reductions in emissions from biofuels are achieved at the expense of other impacts, such as [[Ocean acidification|acidification]], [[eutrophication]], [[water footprint]] and [[biodiversity loss]].<ref name="Jeswani-2020" />

Second-generation biofuels are thought to increase environmental sustainability since the non-food part of plants is being used to produce second-generation biofuels instead of being disposed of.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Antizar-Ladislao B, Turrion-Gomez JL |date=September 2008 |title=Second-generation biofuels and local bioenergy systems |journal=Biofuels, Bioproducts and Biorefining |language=en |volume=2 |issue=5 |pages=455–469 |doi=10.1002/bbb.97 |s2cid=84426763|doi-access=free }}</ref>  But the use of second-generation biofuels increases the competition for lignocellulosic biomass, increasing the cost of these biofuels.<ref>{{Cite journal |vauthors=Bryngemark E |date=December 2019 |title=Second generation biofuels and the competition for forest raw materials: A partial equilibrium analysis of Sweden |journal=Forest Policy and Economics |volume=109 |pages=102022 |doi=10.1016/j.forpol.2019.102022 |bibcode=2019ForPE.10902022B |issn=1389-9341 |s2cid=212954432}}</ref>

In theory, third-generation biofuels, produced from algae, shouldn't harm the environment more than first- or second-generation biofuels due to lower changes in land use and the fact that they do not require pesticide use for production.<ref>{{Cite book |title=3rd generation biofuels: disruptive technologies to enable commercial production |date=2022 |publisher=Woodhead Publishing, an imprint of Elsevier |isbn=978-0-323-90971-6 |editor-last=Jacob-Lopes |editor-first=Eduardo |series=Woodhead Publishing series in energy |location=Cambridge, MA Kidlington |editor-last2=Zepka |editor-first2=Leila Queiroz |editor-last3=Severo |editor-first3=Ihana Aguiar |editor-last4=Maroneze |editor-first4=Mariana Manzoni}}</ref> When looking at the data however, it has been shown that the environmental cost to produce the infrastructure and energy required for third generation biofuel production, are higher than the benefits provided from the biofuels use.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Magazine |first=Hakai |title=Biofuel Made from Algae Isn't the Holy Grail We Expected |url=https://hakaimagazine.com/news/biofuel-made-from-algae-isnt-the-holy-grail-we-expected/ |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=Hakai Magazine |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Rodionova |first1=M. V. |last2=Poudyal |first2=R. S. |last3=Tiwari |first3=I. |last4=Voloshin |first4=R. A. |last5=Zharmukhamedov |first5=S. K. |last6=Nam |first6=H. G. |last7=Zayadan |first7=B. K. |last8=Bruce |first8=B. D. |last9=Hou |first9=H. J. M. |last10=Allakhverdiev |first10=S. I. |title=Biofuel production: Challenges and opportunities |journal=International Journal of Hydrogen Energy |date=2017 |volume=42 |issue=12 |pages=8450–8461 |doi=10.1016/j.ijhydene.2016.11.125|bibcode=2017IJHE...42.8450R }}</ref>

The [[European Commission]] has officially approved a measure to phase out [[palm oil]]-based biofuels by 2030.<ref>{{cite news |title=Palm Oil Exporter Indonesia Concerned by EU's Deforestation Law |url=https://jakartaglobe.id/business/palm-oil-exporter-indonesia-concerned-by-eus-deforestation-law |work=Jakarta Globe |date=22 May 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=EU palm oil use and imports seen plummeting by 2032 |url=https://www.reuters.com/markets/commodities/eu-palm-oil-use-imports-seen-plummeting-by-2032-2022-12-08/ |work=Reuters |date=8 December 2022}}</ref> Unsustainable palm oil agriculture has caused significant environmental and social problems, including deforestation and pollution.

The production of biofuels can be very energy intensive, which, if generated from non-renewable sources, can heavily mitigate the benefits gained through biofuel use. A solution proposed to solve this issue is to supply biofuel production facilities with excess nuclear energy, which can supplement the power provided by fossil fuels.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Forsberg |first=Charles |date=January 2009 |title=The Real Path to Green Energy: Hybrid Nuclear-Renewable Power |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.2968/065006007 |journal=Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists |language=en |volume=65 |issue=6 |pages=65–71 |doi=10.2968/065006007 |bibcode=2009BuAtS..65f..65F |issn=0096-3402|url-access=subscription }}</ref> This can provide a carbon inexpensive solution to help reduce the environmental impacts of biofuel production.