Biofuels 'would do the earth more harm'

Despite some of the recent problems caused by the use of oil, the power source is much better for the environment than biofuel alternatives, it has been claimed.

Writing for the LA Times, Jonah Goldberg said that "counterintuitive as it may seem", biofuel could be worse for the planet than normal fuel. He also talked of an ongoing issue in the Gulf of Mexico - but not the oil spill from a BP platform that has recently devastated the area.

"I'm talking about the dead zone largely caused by fertiliser runoff from American farms along the Mississippi and Atchafalaya river basins.

Such pollutants cause huge algae plumes that result in oxygen starvation in the gulf's richest waters, near the delta," he said.

According to him, this kind of dead zone occurs annually, and as such, gets no attention.

He warned that should US policymakers keep pushing towards using biofuels as a reaction to the current "craze" for anti-fossil fuels, such areas will only get bigger.

The use of biofuels is a contentious issue among many environmentalists, with many agreeing with Mr Goldberg but large numbers also heralding its use as better for the planet.

Written by Kimberley Homer.

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