Agrofuels
Big Profits, Ruined Lives and Ecological Destruction

Shows that agrofuels, once heralded as a solution to climate change, do more harm than good due to the capitalist system in which they are produced.

Since they were heralded as a key weapon in the fight against climate change, agrofuels have been criticised heavily for doing more harm than good due to deforestation and stealing agricultural land essential to farmers in the developing world. This book asks whether there is any place for agrofuels in a low-carbon future. Francois Houtart argues that the green potential of agrofuels has been wasted by businesses that put profits above environmental protection. This has led to the absurd situation where an energy source that should be sustainable actually increases human and ecological damage, simply due to the profit-maximising decisions of capitalists rather than a flaw in the concept of agrofuels. Students of development studies and environmental economics will find that this book offers an interesting new perspective on the future of energy.