What are the pros and cons of bioenergy?
Bioenergy is heat, electricity, or transport fuel produced from plant or animal materials. Millions of people still depend on traditional bioenergy like wood or charcoal for cooking and heating, which can be unsustainable and pose health risks. In many developed countries, the rising costs of fossil fuels, as well as concerns about energy security and climate change, are generating new interest in other forms of bioenergy. For example, new liquid biofuels are made from crops or from agricultural and forestry residues. However, energy is needed to grow, transport and process bioenergy crops, causing considerable debate about their net benefit in terms of greenhouse gas reduction. Another major concern is that using crop land to produce fuel could raise food prices, drive small-scale farmers off their land and prolong hunger in the world. Electricity and heat can also be obtained from plant residues and animal wastes, either by burning them directly or by first producing biogas then burn
