User:Tiliqua gigas gigas/Biofuel

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Estimates about the climate impact from biofuels vary widely based on the methodology and exact situation examined.

In general, biofuels emit fewer greenhouse gas emissions when burned in an engine and are generally considered carbon-neutral fuels as the carbon they emit has been captured from the atmosphere by the crops used in biofuel production. However, life-cycle assessments of biofuels have shown large emissions associated with the potential land-use change required to produce additional biofuel feedstocks. If no land-use change is involved, first-generation biofuels can—on average—have lower emissions than fossil fuels. However, biofuel production can compete with foodcrop production. Up to 40% of corn produced in the United States is used to make ethanol and worldwide 10% of all grain is turned into biofuel. A 50% reduction in grain used for biofuels in the US and Europe would replace all of Ukraine's grain exports. Several studies have shown that reductions in emissions from biofuels are achieved at the expense of other impacts, such as acidification, eutrophication, water footprint and biodiversity loss.

The use of second generation biofuels is thought to increase environmental sustainability, since the non-food part of plants is being used to produce second-generation biofuels, instead of being disposed. But the use of second-generation biofuels increases the competition for lignocellulosic biomass, increasing the cost of these biofuels.

Third generation biofuels, produced from Algae, in theory shouldn't have as negative an impact on the environment than first or second generation biofuels, due to lower changes in land use and not requiring the use of fertilizer or pesticides for production. When looking at the data however, it has been shown that the environmental cost to produce the infrastructure and energy required for third generation biofuel production, is higher than the benefits provided from the biofuels use.

The European Commission has officially approved a measure to phase out palm oil-based biofuels by 2030. Unsustainable palm oil agriculture has caused significant environmental and social problems, including deforestation and pollution.