What are the potential drawbacks of biofuels?
Potential environmental drawbacks of crop-based biofuels production include soil erosion and stress on water resources. There is also concern that biofuel-driven feedstock production could increase emissions of climate-warming greenhouse gases and hasten the reduction of forested area, loss of biodiversity, and other important indicators of ecosystem health. Policy-driven biofuel expansion can also lead to increases in food prices. In addition, land use changes for biofuels production release carbon into the atmosphere, offsetting the expected direct GHG emission reduction if not managed properly.
