Agrofuels: Big Profits, Ruined Lives and Ecological Destruction

A hard-hitting analysis, as one would infer from the combative subtitle. Not so long go, biofuels were being touted as an ecologically sound means of combating climate change, but the substitution of these crops for food led to a rise in food prices and a realisation that decisions would be made on the basis of short-term profits rather than long-term sustainability. The scope of the book is wider than one might think, in that it discusses energy and development and the twin crises of energy and climate before moving on to the political dimensions leading to the promotion of market friendly solutions to climate change. There are technical chapters on the characteristics of agrofuels and agroenergy, specifically the production of ethanol from sugar cane and diesel from palm oil. This leads to various collateral effects and an explanation of the extension of monoculture and monopoly in the world food system. Finally, the author discusses alternative ways of solving the climate and energy crises. A highly informative if polemical read.