Water for biofuels or for food: it’s one or the other

Biofuels, hailed by many as the green solution to offset a coming oil shortage and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, are not a cure-all solution, experts at a water conference in Stockholm warned this week.

Biofuels, which are made from crops, require huge amounts of water, a resource that is already in short supply in many parts of the world. Bioenergy could thus end up diverting water resources desperately needed for food crops.

“When governments and companies are discussing biofuel solutions, I think water issues are not addressed enough,” Johan Kuylenstierna, director of the World Water Week conference, told AFP.

AFP