U.K.
U.K. Provides Grants for Usage of Biomass
Posted June 15th, 2008 by Molly
Apparently biomass - anything from crops like corn to dead wood and straw- is getting a lot of attention these days. First, there was that whole controversy about using biofuels in place of gasoline. Now, the United Kingdom government is offering grants to farmers and business owners to produce and use biomass for heating and fuel.
The government tries to avoid the former downfalls by only selecting inedible matter, such as grass and straw. Therefore, the new program hopefully will not have much of an effect on food supplies.
Some people wonder, doesn't the burning of all that plant material still release carbon dioxide into the atmosphere? How does using biofuels even help the greenhouse gas situation?
Well, here's the answer in a nutshell. Carbon continuously cycles throughout the atmosphere and the earth. It's in the air, animals breath it out, plants take it in, burning and decomposing releases it. However, all these activity takes place above ground, meaning that the net amount of carbon always stays the same.
When people discovered fossil fuels, they began to release large stores of carbon that were sequestered below the ground into the air. Therefore, the net amount of carbon in our atmosphere is increasing. It takes a much longer time for carbon to become stored in the forms of fossil fuels underground than it does for fossil fuels to be burned and release carbon. So, now we have this problem.
Are biofuels our savior? I don't think so. Whatever impact their usage has will be minimal, mainly because they only make up a small fraction of our total energy output. However, programs such as this one show that governments are becoming more aware of environmental concerns, which can lead to larger changes in the future.
Individuals also can make a difference. Conscious Lifestyle is still accepting applications for its 2008 ventures. You will receive money, mentoring, webspace, and other opportunities to help achieve your goal. This link takes you to more information.
This image is from www.alternate-energy-news.info.
