National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Biofuels Could Do More Harm Than Good, UN Report Warns


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Sugarcane crops are burned in Sertãozinho, Brazil, on April 21, 2007. Used on most cane plantations, the process removes excess foliage to allow easier cutting, which is generally done by hand.

Cane fuels Brazil's booming ethanol industry, which allows many of the country's drivers to pay about 40 percent less at the pump than they do for gasoline. But a May 2007 UN report warns that the biofuel is better suited for use in buildings than in automobiles.

Photograph by Paulo Whitaker/Reuters