I know that this is old news, but I - like so many of us - still have questions about the Kyoto Accord. Yes, pollution is a problem. And yes, greenhouses gases can stand to be reduced. But since Cretien approved the Accord, what has been going on? It seems as though once the deal was done, it ceased to be news. Can anyone fill me in on this? THANK YOU!
Canada is committed to a 6 percent reduction in greenhouse gases below 1990 levels. One very effective way of achieving the Kyoto reductions is to substitute biofuels in place of fossil fuels, especially in the transportation sector where petroleum has a monopoly. Biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel are made from agricultural wastes (straw, sawdust, recycled paper) and so their carbon emissions are re-absorbed in next years crop. This results in a zero net emission of greenhouse gases for a biofuel powered automobile. Nearly all automobiles can mix up to 10 percent ethanol with gasoline without any effect on performance, while at the same time directly reducing oil consumption and carbon emissions by the same amount. Thirty percent of the wheat straw from the prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba could displace 10 percent of Canada's oil consumption for transportation. This is part of the federal government's plan, to require between 5% - 10% mix of ethanol and gasoline at the pump. Most consumers won't even notice, but it will put a huge dent in carbon emissions, and boost the agricultural sector too. Here is an article on the subject from the Canadian Renewable Fuels Association. To increase the ethanol-gasoline mixture beyond 10% requires modified engines: so called Flexible Fuel Vehicles can burn gasoline, ethanol or any combination of the two fuels. Countries like Brazil have long since adopted flexible fuelling, with many vehicles using up to 85% ethanol. But Brazil has a domestic supply of ethanol, from sugar cane production, that Canada currently has not obvious equivalent. And since Canada is an oil exporting nation, we have had no motivation. That may change in the future as cheap pumpable oil runs out (Canada has about two years supply left) and we are forced to contend with the environmental devastation caused by tarsand and shale oil operations. Already there is evidence that these oil reserves are not viable with even modest environmental regulations. Indeed we may have to switch to Flexible Fuel Vehicles, and divert a significant agricultural resource to fuel production.
