National Geographic News, Reporting Your World Daily

Monday, November 23, 2009

Photo: Clearing Land for Biofuels Makes Global Warming Worse


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Farmers convert a native prairie in central South Dakota to arable land in this undated photo.

Biofuels such as corn ethanol typically start out with a "carbon debt": the gas released into the atmosphere while preparing the land for crops.

This release of greenhouse gases may ultimately make biofuels worse for the environment, a new study says.

Photograph courtesy Boyd Schulz