Why Biofuels Are Terrible

2021-06-05

[public] 913K views, 90.4K likes, 2.11K dislikes audio only

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Writer/Narrator: Brian McManus

Editor: Stephanie Sammann (https://www.stephanie-sammann.com/)

Animator: Mike Ridolfi (https://www.moboxgraphics.com/)

Sound: Graham Haerther (https://haerther.net/)

Thumbnail: Simon Buckmaster https://twitter.com/forgottentowel

References:

[1] https://www.agriculture.com/news/business/ethanol-market-is-disturbing-as-hell-to-american-farmers-and-now-there-s-covid-19#:~:text=Roughly%2040%20percent%20of%20the%20U.S.%20corn%20crop%20is%20refined%20into%20ethanol

[2] https://www.politico.com/newsletters/morning-energy/2021/01/26/biofuels-pivot-under-biden-792969

[3] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/biomass/

[4] https://www.eubia.org/cms/wiki-biomass/fermentation/ [19]

[5] https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/biofuels/ethanol.php#:~:text=Ethanol%20is%20a%20renewable%20biofuel,used%20to%20make%20a%20product [19a]

[6] https://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=36774#:~:text=Of%20the%20top%2013%20fuel,nation's%20total%20ethanol%20production%20capacity.&text=Actual%20U.S.%20production%20of%20fuel,b%2Fd)%20in%202017. [19b]

[7] https://www.usgs.gov/media/images/map-croplands-united-states#:~:text=The%20United%20States%20has%20166,180%20million%20hectares%20of%20croplands. [20b]

[8] https://www.usda.gov/media/blog/2019/07/29/corn-americas-largest-crop-2019 [20d]

[9] https://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2014/04/20/its-final-corn-ethanol-is-of-no-use/?sh=a73d1eb67d35 [21b]

[10] https://www.macrotrends.net/2532/corn-prices-historical-chart-data [21c]

[11] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18045-z [21d]

[12] https://www.technologyreview.com/2011/03/23/196198/ethanol-blamed-for-record-food-prices/ [21f]

[13] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11053-005-4679-8 [19c]

[14] https://www.springer.com/gp/book/9783642962837 [21a]

[15] https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11053-005-4679-8

[16] https://www.circleofblue.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/Gerbens-Hoekstra-VanderMeer-2008-waterfootprint-bioenergy.pdf

[17] https://hoptownchronicle.org/corn-growers-demand-biden-climate-plan-prioritize-ethanol/ [23a]

[18] https://economics.yale.edu/sites/default/files/santanna-how_green_is_sugarcane_ethanol.pdf [22b]

[19]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3152439/ [21]

[20]https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3152439/#:~:text=The%20algal%20biofuels%20production%20chain,refining%20and%20residual%20biomass%20utilization. [21e]

[21] https://www.energy.gov/eere/bioenergy/articles/researchers-strive-reduce-cost-and-time-algal-biofuel-production [25]

[22] https://www.ge.com/gas-power/future-of-energy/hydrogen-fueled-gas-turbines

[23] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-airplane-biofuels/airlines-get-ready-for-jet-biofuel-take-off-in-norway-idUSKBN1XV1TQ

[24] https://www.neste.com/products/all-products/raw-materials/sustainably-produced-palm-oil/palm-oil-traceability#e12af6f9

[25] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-norway-airplane-biofuels/airlines-get-ready-for-jet-biofuel-take-off-in-norway-idUSKBN1XV1TQ

Thank you to AP Archive for access to their archival footage.

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