Through biofuels we can reap
the fruits of our labours
If
we use sewage, refuse or
agricultural waste, biofuels
can be sustainable - and cut
poverty, says Ron Oxburgh
Lord Oxburgh The Guardian,
Thursday February 28 2008
George Monbiot has gone too
far. Whatever sympathy one
has with his campaign
against some present-day
biofuels, it is absurd to
say none are sustainable
(Apart from used chip fat,
there is no such thing as a
sustainable biofuel ,
February 12).
......
Cultivation and fruit
picking by hand is labour-intensive
and needs around one person
per hectare. In parts of
rural India and Africa this
provides much-needed jobs -
about 200,000 people
worldwide now find
employment through jatropha.
Moreover, villagers often
find that they can grow
other crops in the shade of
the trees. Their communities
will avoid importing
expensive diesel and there
will be some for export too.
Cultivation and fruit
picking by hand is labour-intensive
and needs around one person
per hectare. In parts of
rural India and Africa this
provides much-needed jobs -
about 200,000 people
worldwide now find
employment through jatropha.
Moreover, villagers often
find that they can grow
other crops in the shade of
the trees. Their communities
will avoid importing
expensive diesel and there
will be some for export too.....
....More
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