Diminishing water resources threatens feasibility of biofuels

T

he transition away from fossil fuels is underway, but without assessing demands on land and water resources we put the future health of our planet at risk, according to The Guardian.

The story - “Switching to biofuels could place unsustainable demands on water use” – says, “As the world moves towards renewable sources of energy, it faces an accompanying challenge: water scarcity. The intensive water use in the coal, oil, gas and nuclear industries is well-documented, but if we want to encourage a faster transition to renewables we must also contemplate the water use of the alternatives.

“It is a great challenge to limit the drain on land and water resources now the transition has taken off. Bioenergy, hydropower, and wind, solar and geothermal energy all require substantial amounts of land and water resources. Given limitations to the availability of land and water, what energy scenarios are feasible in the long run?

“With fossil fuels we have learned to worry about energy scarcity as a major concern for economic development and national security. In contrast, renewable energy seems inexhaustible: incoming solar radiation, for example, is far beyond what we need. The fact that renewable energy is available into infinity reinforces this idea of limitlessness. This, however, is a misunderstanding: we will replace energy scarcity by land and water scarcity.”