Effects of Biofuels on Biodiversity and Climate Change

There are multilevel studies emphasizing on the effects of biofuels on biodiversity and climate change as biofuels offer a potential alternative to fossil fuels. In addition to that, uncontrolled production of biofuels can contribute to habitat destruction and soil degradation, negatively impacting local wildlife and ecosystems.

Climate change is triggered in last few decades mainly due to industrial revolution and significant growth in transportation sector and excess of greenhouse gases such as Carbon dioxide CO2, Nitrous Oxide N2O, Sulphur hexafluoride SF6 and Methane CH4 in the earth’s atmosphere.

These gases trap the heat from the sun resulting in warming our planet even more. Here, carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle. But its impact is considerably decreasing due to mass deforestation and geographic changes worldwide. However, measures are being initiated globally to mitigate effects of all these gases.

Climate Change due to Deforestation

Deforestation has triggered the impact of pollution even more. In United States, back in 1630, 46% of the area of today's USA was covered by forest. Today, that's just 34%. In 2023, United States alone lost 104 Million acres of natural forest, equivalent to 729 Mt of CO₂ emissions. In the Amazon alone, around 17% of the forest has been lost in the last 50 years, mainly due to forest conversion for cattle ranching.

While some countries are falling behind on their goals, others are succeeding but researchers have found that Tropical Asia is the only region currently on track to halt the impact of deforestation by 2030. According to the World Wildlife Fund 80% of global deforestation is linked to altering natural landscapes for crops and livestock and expansion of cities.

To save our planet and humanity from the disaster of ultimate effects of these emissions, we need to reach at Net Zero. Scientists, by using this term to reach Net Zero mean, the greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere must be equivalent to the greenhouse gases being removed from the atmosphere.

Every country, sector, industry and each one of us must work together to find ways to cut the carbon we produce to keep our planet livable.

By 2023, the top ten greenhouse gas emitters were China, the United States, India, the European Union, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, Japan, Iran, and Canada.

Understanding Greenhouse Effect

During the day, the sun shines through the atmosphere and warms the earth’s surface. At night the earth's surface cools, releasing heat back into the air. But some of the heat is trapped by the greenhouse gases in the atmosphere keeping the earth’s temperature at an average 14˚C (57˚F). Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are gases in the earth’s atmosphere that trap the heat.

The gases actually act like the glass walls of a greenhouse hence the name, greenhouse gases. Without this greenhouse effect, temperatures would drop to as low as -18˚C (-0.4˚F) being too cold to sustain life on earth.

What is Net Zero?

Putting simply, Net Zero means cutting carbon emissions to a small amount of residual emissions that can be absorbed and durably stored by nature leaving zero in the atmosphere.

The science shows clearly that in order to prevent the worst impacts of climate change and preserve a livable planet, global temperature increase needs to be limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. Currently, the Earth is already about 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s, and emissions continue to rise.

To keep global warming to no more than 1.5°C, these emissions need to be reduced by 45% by 2030 and reach net zero by 2050.

How Can We Reach Net Zero?

Struggling towards a Net-Zero world is one of the greatest challenges humankind is facing. It calls for nothing less than a complete transformation of how we produce, consume, and travel. The energy sector is the source of around three-quarters of greenhouse gas emissions today. Replacing polluting coal, gas and oil-fired power with energy from renewable sources, such as wind, solar and biofuels would dramatically reduce carbon emissions.

Global Efforts to Control Climate Change

Global efforts are pledging to get to net-zero emissions. Around 140 countries worldwide have set a net-zero target where more than 9,000 companies, over 1000 cities, more than 1000 educational institutions, and over 600 financial institutions have designed their plans to mitigate the effects to halve global emissions by 2030 and reach Net Zero by 2050. Non-State entities like businesses, investors, cities and regions, and even individuals are also likely to speed up their implementation.

How Greenhouse Gases are Balanced in Environment Naturally

CO2 is also released through natural processes, such as volcanic eruptions, plant respiration and animals and humans breathing. But the atmospheric CO2 concentration has increased by 50% since the Industrial Revolution began in the 1800s, due to human activities like the burning of fossil fuels and large-scale deforestation. Due to its abundance, CO2 is the main contributor to climate change.

While on the other hand, Methane is produced naturally through decomposition. Here again, human activity has displaced its natural balance due to increased amount of methane being released by cattle farming, landfill waste dumps, rice farming and the traditional production of oil and gas.

Additionally, Nitrous oxide is produced through the large-scale use of commercial and organic fertilizers, fossil-fuel combustion, nitric-acid production and biomass burning.

Water vapor also is the most abundant greenhouse gas. It increases as the earth's atmosphere warms but unlike CO2, which can remain in the earth’s atmosphere for centuries, water vapor persists for only a few days.

In contrast, the three industrial fluorinated gases – hydrofluorocarbons (HFC), perfluorocarbons (PFC) and Sulphur hexafluoride SF6 are solely man-made during industrial processes and do not occur in nature. Though they are present in very small concentrations in the atmosphere but they trap heat very effectively, meaning they have relatively more potential to trap atmospheric heat.

According to some studies, Sulphur Hexafluoride SF6, which is used in high-voltage electricity equipment, has a ‘Global Warming Potential’ 23,000 times greater than CO2.

Primary Sources of Greenhouse Gas Emissions in United States

Transportation – Greenhouse gas emissions from transportation mainly come from burning fossil fuel for cars, trucks, ships, trains, and planes. Over 94% of the fuel used for transportation is petroleum based, which includes primarily gasoline and diesel resulting in direct emissions. The transportation sector is the largest source of direct greenhouse gas emissions.

Electricity Production – Electric power includes emissions from electricity production industry. By 2022, 60% of the US electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, mostly coal and natural gas.

Industry – Greenhouse gas emissions from industry primarily come from burning fossil fuels for energy, as well as greenhouse gas emissions from certain chemical reactions necessary to produce goods from raw materials. Industrial emissions are the third largest source of direct emissions.

Commercial and Residential – Greenhouse gas emissions from the commercial and residential sector come from fossil fuels burned for heat and the use of gases for refrigeration and cooling in buildings.

Agriculture – Greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture come from livestock such as organic wastes of humans, cattle and agricultural wastes.

What Significantly Can be done to Reduce Greenhouse Gases?

We can all play a part in protecting our planet, from simple daily changes, like reusing and recycling and switching to electric vehicles. But in any case government regulations are most likely more effective ways to implement such changes at mass level. In United States the government is implementing regulations to shift to sustainable energy resources for human and environmental safety.

United States Contribution towards Climate Change

United Sates has its commitments to achieving Net-Zero by 2050. Helping society to decarbonise is the biggest contribution we can make to the environment through development of low-carbon, renewable energy sources across the US, and achieving the technical capability of operating a Zero-Carbon electricity system.

Efforts are being done to reduce SF6 emissions from our global operation by 50% by 2030, through leak identification and repair, as well as investment in SF6 alternatives.

Growth in renewable resources in the US over the coming decade will significantly lower the overall intensity by moving to a 100% electric or biofuel run fleet by 2030 for light-duty vehicles and development of alternate fuels for energy and industrial sectors.

Reduction Tips for Carbon dioxide emissions

• Reducing personal energy use by turning off lights and electronics when not in use.

• Using more efficient electrical appliances.

• Reducing less distance traveled in vehicles reduces petroleum consumption.

• Producing more energy from renewable sources.

• Using fuels with lower carbon contents.

• Improving the insulation of buildings to minimize energy needs.

• Traveling in more fuel-efficient vehicles.

Reduction Tips for Methane Emissions

• Upgrading the equipment used to produce, store, and transport oil and natural gas.

• Methane from coal mines can also be captured and used for energy.

• Obtaining Methane from manure management practices.

• Capturing landfill CH4 for destruction in a flare or conversion to renewable energy are both effective emission reduction strategies.

Reduction Tips for Nitrous Oxide Emissions

• Reducing nitrogen-based fertilizer applications and applying bio-fertilizers more efficiently.

• Reducing fuel consumption in motor vehicles and secondary sources can reduce emissions.

• Introduction of pollution control technologies (e.g., catalytic converters to reduce exhaust pollutants from cars).

• Technological upgrades in production of Nitric Acid and Adipic Acid will reduce N2O emissions.

Reduction Tips for Fluorinated Gases

Refrigerants used by businesses and residences emit fluorinated gases. Emissions can be reduced by better handling of these gases and use of substitutes with lower global warming potentials and other technological improvements.

Hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are released through the leakage of refrigerants used in vehicle air-conditioning systems. The Leakage can be reduced through better system components and through the use of alternative refrigerants with lower global warming potentials.

Industrial emitters of fluorinated gases can reduce emissions by adopting fluorinated gas capture and destruction processes, optimizing production to minimize emissions, and replacing these gases with alternatives.

Sulfur hexafluoride SF6 is an extremely potent greenhouse gas that is used for several purposes when transmitting electricity through the power grid. This can be done by use of recycling equipment, and consideration of alternative technologies that do not use SF6 in Electric Power Systems.