The Un has warned that biofuels present an environmental risk. The World has rushed to embrace biofuels as they are better for the environment than fossil fuels and give a welcome energy security boost for many countries. However biofuels are causing a spike in the price of some crops such as corn and could worsen water shortages whilst also forcing poorer communities off the land a UN official said on Wednesday.

The argument over biofuels is not a new one. The UN have acknowledged that biofuels are better for the environment but have warned that the advantages and disadvantages must be considered carefully.

A UN spokesperson said that the primary concern was over the increase in competition for agricultural land – corn price rises in the US and Mexico have the potential to lead to food shortages in developing countries. Worsening water shortages are also a big concern – biofuel crops tend to require large amounts of water. Not only can crops use up all the available water but pesticides and fertilizers used in the growing of the crops may leech into the surrounding water supplies. There are also concerns that forests in Indonesia and Malaysia could be chopped down to pave the way for palm oil plantations.

Biofuels were once seen as the cure to our oil woes, with the EU planning to replace 10% of transport fuel with biofuels by 2020. However over recent months, many scientists and researchers are beginning to see the dangers of biofuels and have said that they could do more harm than good. Despite their claims to be ‘green’, biofuels could have a negative effect on the environment – by destroying natural forests that store carbon, hence there is less to absorb carbon and fight global warming.

Some countries are so concerned over the potential issues surrounding biofuels that they have delayed biofuel initiatives – the Philippines is considering getting rid of a biofuels law because of the potential damage to the environment.

Meanwhile India is facing criticism over their plans to plant 30 million acres of jatropha trees by 2012 to help drive biofuel in the country. However, there are worries that these new plantations will increase deforestation rates and force communities from their lands – 100 million acres of vacant land will need to be found in order to support the jatropha trees. The planting of a single species across such a vast area in itself causes problems too – a single severe outbreak of pests or disease could quite easily devastate the majority of the plantations in a single sweep.

One thing is clear – despite hopes that biofuels were the cure to our oil worries, there are many potential negative effects that biofuel crops bring to the environment and more research and study must be done to discover if biofuels really are the way forward.

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