The Biofuel Delusion

Subtitled 'the fallacy of large-scale agro-biofuel production', this comprehensive volume is surely the textbook for the field. They did not take long for people to catch on to be disadvantages of biofuel production, especially that it uses land that could otherwise produce food, which then has the effect of raising food prices. However, as my review of Robert Allbriton's the book in the last issue showed, the key driver of capitalism is short-term profit rather than long-term sustainability. In this case, it would have been good if knowledge had preceded policy, but it is equally clear that the policies, notably in the EU, have been captured by corporate interests with their strong lobbying activity on the part of car manufacturers, oil companies and biotechnology interests. A good book to order for your local library.