Can energy crops be grown sustainable?
If developed in a sustainable way, bio-energy has the potential to produce both electricity and fuel with fewer risks than those associated with oil, coal, and nuclear technologies. Bio-energy crops hold great promise to help curb heat-trapping emissions from other energy sectors that contribute to global climate change. But a rapid global expansion of bio-energy development could have unwanted environmental and economic consequences, possibly including reduced global capacity to produce food, fiber, and industrial materials. UCS has produced a set of guiding principles which, if followed, can help the country develop bio-energy in a manner that maximizes the opportunities and helps address the challenges associated with this renewable resource.
