The fight against global warming has become a responsibility for all countries around the world as the effects threaten the future of humanity and the environment. The burning of products produced from fossil fuels is attributed to being a cause of increased global warming. To reduce the impacts of fossil fuels, biofuels were recently introduced and argued to be safer for the environment as compared to fossil fuels. The arguments for biofuels suggests that they burn cleanly to emit fewer greenhouse gases; there are chances that biofuels may help and not harm local ecosystems; they are economically favorable as they will cut production costs and make gas prices affordable; and the creation of biofuels will not harm the prices of food as not all food sources can produce biofuels. All these factors when compared to traditional fuels promote the idea of using biofuels as a sustainable approach towards reducing global warming.
According to Bjorklund (2015), it has been identified that there will be a total of 36 billion gallons, in Florida, of renewable fuel standard by the year 2022. Such volumes will have significant positive effects on the economy. For instance, the price of gas, which is currently soaring, can be reduced with the acceptance of biofuels all around the USA. Also, biofuels should be locally produced to reduce the transportation costs and miscellaneous losses related to transportation such as accidents (Bjorklund, 2015). Bjorklund (2015) also notes research indicates about nine percent of the energy consumed in Florida comes from renewable sources.As a result, biofuels are a significant energy and fuel candidate in this state as they can be renewed as compared to fossil fuels, which are non-renewable and expensive.
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Bowden and Learning (2015) claim biofuels are clean and friendly to the environment. It means they are less harmful to the environment when compared to the traditional oil and petroleum fuels.Biofuels burn cleanly and release lesser CO2 to the environment (Bowden & Learning, 2015). In the current condition to which the earth is exposed to global warming; any reduced emission of CO2 is an effort worth embracing. Other scholars might argue against this concept claiming biofuels are not as safe as portrayed by the media and those in their support. Hicks (2015) suggests that biofuel fertilizer comes from greenhouse-gas-emitting natural gas. It means that as much as biofuels are believed to be the saviors of the environment, they could in the real sense be causes of increased global warming. Bowden and Learning (2015) strongly argue against such statements claiming in the presence of strict laws will deter such attempts as better approaches will be recommended for land fertilization.
Biofuels have also been realized to be less expensive as compared to fossil fuels. They are cheap to afford and they have also been categorized to be the cheapest source of fuels in the entire world(Bowden & Learning, 2015).Biofuels are also flexible in the sense that they can be mixed easily with other sources of fuel. They are also considered to be additives since biofuels such as biodiesel and ethanol are better car engines as compared to fossil fuels(Bowden & Learning, 2015). Also, there are carbon neutral biofuels that emit even lesser CO2 to the environment, which means a healthier environment for the entire state of Florida.
The move towards supporting biofuels by the state of Florida could be noted as a great approach towards dealing with global warming. However, critiques may argue that biofuels are not a safe haven as claimed. For instance, Hicks (2015) warns that using biofuels could lead to environmental disaster as larger acres of land are required to prepare this source of energy. Also, Hicks (2015) warns that developing new land for these biofuels might release greenhouse gases. He asks for further research to investigate the production and use of biofuels before it can be made a nationwide solution to global warming.
Dahiya (2015) argues that there is a significant chance the production of biofuels may increase the emission of greenhouse gases. The claim is based on the idea that about every biofuel in use causes more greenhouse gas emissions as compared to other traditional fuels. Also, the cost of producing biofuels is argued to be higher as compared to the production of traditional fuels. Bjorklund (2015) is against this perception claiming biofuels have the capacity to power the production of biofuels. Under this claim, Bjorklund (2015) believes biofuels are not only carbon neutral, but self-sustaining, as well. Regardless of the shortcomings associated with biofuels, it is strongly believed that there is a chance they could reduce the impact of CO2 on the environment.
The argument that biofuels may impact the price of foods does not have a strong standing. It is only based on the claim that with the introduction of biofuels, the prices of corn increased from $2 to $5 in 2006. As a result, the cost of other foods may be impacted such as beef and soft drinks among others (Dahiya, 2015).On the contrary, Bowden and Learning(2015) claim biofuels are not necessarily dependent on food sources. They can be produced from other non-food sources like algae. In fact, algae are more productive in the creation of biofuels as compared to food sources. For instance, in a one hundred acre of algae about ten million biodiesel gallons could be created. Also, farming algae does not require clearing of land as it can grow among other vegetation (Bowden & Learning, 2015).
In conclusion, the analysis of the pros and cons of biofuels presented in this research provides that indeed biofuels could be a reliable source of energy. Biofuels are not 100 percent CO2 free, but provide a significant solution to emissions as it presents low gases as compared to the traditional fuels. Also, biofuels are renewable and provide the opportunity to recycle rather than produce newer fuels, which means it helps save on costs and the environment. The other advantage of biofuels is the fact that they are clean and produce lesser CO2 despite attempts to argue against this claim, biofuels do have a potential to reduce global warming not only in Florida but for the entire universe.
- Bjorklund, R. (2015). Pros and Cons of Algae Biofuel. City: Cavendish Square Publishing.
- Bowden, R. & Learning, B. (2015).Energy Sources. Chicago: Britannica Digital Learning.
- Dahiya, A. (2015). Bioenergy: biomass to biofuels. London: Academic Press.
- Hicks, T. (2015).The pros and cons of biofuel. New York: Cavendish Square.
