Biofuels threaten habitats
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The Global Invasive Species Programme issued a report today about biofuels and the hazards they potentially pose for places where they may be grown.The scientists involved with this project warn that possible biofuel plants like the American mesquite tree could escape from the fields which would be intended to hold them, threatening native species' survival. (As anyone who has seen kudzu in the American Southeast can testify, invasive plant species are more than a scifi scare fantasy - they can be almost impossible to eradicate.) And an Asian reed named arundo donax, also being considered for biofuel cultivation, could make habitats more flammable in arid locales like southern California, potentially causing destructive wildfires. Possible biofuel plants which have low risk of escaping and becoming invasive include sunflowers, soya, sugar cane, wheat, and cotton. But then you still have all the environmental problems that come with monoculturing these plants. Biofuel: not a magic bullet...alas.
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