Comments on the Myths of Biofuels

Press coverage of "The Myths of Biofuels" in the Santa Clara Weekly.

Comments

Tim W. in Southwestern NH:

I've been a student of world resource use and trends since the early 1970s. Back then some of the people I worked with believed we could design our way out of the serious problems facing humanity. But even the man I worked for back then understood that it was going to be "utopia or oblivion" for humans on Earth.

It is now 2007 and time has run out for the techno-fixers, but it has not stopped the hucksters, opportunists and politicians from promoting "biofuels" as a way for us to keep "happily motoring" in the USA. David Fridley in "The Myth of Biofuels" demolishes their "irrational exuberance" with an ecological systems based argument backed by some eye-opening data. Fridley is sharp and forceful in making his case that biofuels are only going to be able to displace a small fraction of the transportation fuels being used today.

The next time you hear some presidential wannabe talking about producing 60 billion gallons of ethanol in the coming years you should hit them upside the head with "The Myth of Biofuels."

I viewed "The Myth of BioFuels" a second time and I'm really impressed with the presenter, David Fridley, and the great job you an your co-workers did on the productions. The "peak potatoes" animation is very clever...nice job. I mentioned the DVD to a peak oil activist and friend of mine in Tucson, Bob Cook. We attended the first "Limits to Growth Conference" held at the Woodlands in Houston in 1975. Been friends ever since. Bob has headed over to Houston this week to attend the ASPO-USA conference. I should be getting an update from his before too long.

Michelle M. in Pacifica, California:

Bravo! I received my copies of "The Myth of Biofuels" yesterday. The production was the best produced educational lecture I've seen in ages. David's content and presentation are excellent. The fun graphics, music and editing keep the viewer interested through out the topic too. I plan to give a copy to my local high school science teacher. And, my relatives will be getting a wonderful stocking stuffer DVD this year.

Debbie C. in Southern California:

For anyone interested in understanding biofuels and the role they will or will not play in our energy future, this DVD is a must see. David Fridley offers an insightful accounting of the limitations that biofuels will play in America's energy future.

Mary D. in Santa Cruz:

david fridley's presentation contains imperative data for understanding our planet's photosynthetic processes and the earth's ability to move human's from gaining their sustenance from fossil fuels, to other systems in the biosphere. assisted by clear, easy to understand animated graphs and charts, david presents the science and statistics of these complex topics. especially important, the myth of biofuels gives a context for understanding the difference between (previously) abundant ancient stored sunlight, and the potential yeild gleaned from earth's photosynthetic processes (biomass).

"myths" makes one reflect more deeply on the avalanche of alternative fuel rhetoric that gets tossed around by politicians, media pundits and others. too few americans are able to critically analyze the costs and benefits of decisions made for them via "advanced technological ideas and solutions." it can be especially confusing when these solutions originate in the environmental or "green" community. in addition to david's excellent presentation, this dvd contains the extremely humorous and satirical animation, the "potato parable." the animated parable cleverly brings to life david's illustration of EIOER (energy invested on energy returned), while poking good natured fun at peak oil community. this dvd should played in classrooms, boardrooms and congregations all over the world, especially for human audiences who likes to eat food.

Review by Rand Cheadle, writer/researcher, Washington, DC:

"The Myths of Biofuels" documents a presentation by David Fridley of Lawerence Berkeley Labs and San Francisco Oil Awareness at the meeting of Post Carbon Santa Clara Valley, June7, 2007.

This lecture is essentially a recreation of a vibrant, SRO evening at The Pacific Energy Center in San Francisco a few weeks earlier. However, the lighting and other logistical concerns made it a bad venue for shooting video. The session depicted in this re-staging is in a much staid space with a much smaller audience. But we are served well by having a permanent record of Fridley's extremely effective presentation.

As a myth-basher, Fridley is as concise as possible, earnest and reluctant to preach or condemn. His tone is of low-key disbelief in the face of all the blatantly deceptive claims from voices in the government and corporate camps (often one in the same).

Biofuel as a panacea is extremely appealing. We are susceptible to good narrative. Fridley amiably, patiently destroys these myths of the quick-fix.

His strategy to dismantle these increasingly hackneyed myths is to gently highlight the sheer ridiculousness of so-called conventional wisdom. Fridley does not make an angry call to action. His effort is to arm his audience with the facts. Such is the mission of activist-educators, such as Fridley and Brumm, who in the tradition of the more high-budgeted The End of Suburbia, cause us to realize what we probably were in denial about all along.

Editor, designer and animator Brumm makes this lecture work as a video presentation, adding much-need interest at every turn. From the vintage automobile ads and sheet music to highly imaginative, animated interpretation of Fridley's "Potato Parable," Brumm brings both relief and clarity to this data-packed production. (Technically, it should be "The Fable of the Potato," but that's not as alliterative.)

The End of Suburbia used vintage footage to illustrate the mass brainwashing of the American public. But it also served as a great source for some entertaining relief to the overwhelming amount of data required for this discussion. In bringing Fridley's "The Potato Parable" to life, Brumm is a 21st century Aesop, and his is a Fractured Fairytale for today. If only Edward Everett Horton were around to narrate.

Brumm's contributions throughout are fresh, elucidating, at times entertaining, and totally appropriate.

The Myths of Biofuels is a budget-free, all volunteer production. Sutro Tower Video Productions, as Brumm would say, is a no-profit (rather than non-profit) effort and primary channel for his creative energies. I don't know if Brumm would call his latest project a labor of love or an act of desperately setting off flares to warn of the crises up ahead.

This presentation was not designed as the forum for an opposing view. However, since much of the data is from government and industry resources, the opposing view would probably consist of some highly orchestrated whistling in the dark. Or perhaps the amazed realizations of a child farmer in an Archers Daniel Midlands advertorial on Meet the Press. If biofuels are such a slam dunk, why do they need millions in subsidies?

As much as global client change and the peak oil phenomenon have been hotly challenged by corporate and political challengers, the biofuel solution as been blithely accepted, until recently, without much debate. That makes it a convenient trope to pull out in a presidential campaign or arbitrarily nail to a party platform to present a palatable solution to the global energy crisis. Democratic presidential candidate Barak Obama has already glommed on to the biofuel solution.

Fridley begins with the declaration that he will only examine the realities of biofuel, thereby deconstructing the myths that encourage its adherents. He will not offer alternative solutions. In the Q&A, Fridley is forced to discuss some alternatives.

This writer believes that the only serious long-term benefit of biofuel is that it can force us to examine much larger problems and more credible mitigation. While some believe that we as a civilization have gone too far and the only possible final act is Armageddon. For some the credible cures are worse than the disease (e.g., nuclear power).

The TV commercial tells us that BP no longer stands for British Petroleum, but Beyond Petroleum. What's "beyond" petroleum is as close as the nearest corn or soybean field in the Minnesota countryside, where we have started to transform America's agricultural abundance into renewable, affordable homegrown energy. Sure. The fact is that destroyed rainforests are the new oil fields - palm oil fields to be precise.

As Fridley chillingly sums it up, "One of the perverse things about biofuels is that it creates a mechanism that links the price of oil to the price of food."

Biofuel supposes finding an answer to the woes of personal transport in these days of high gas prices. A better start could be made with a commitment on a national scale to communal transport.

Right now, there are too many false choices, and little will to make the truly difficult ones.

The earth will not accept a biofuel strategy any more that it has accepted the carbon-based approach. A couple of centuries is merely the blink of an eye in the history of this planet. The earth will sicken and ultimately expel the irritant.

With apologies to Walt Kelly and Pogo, "We have met the irritant and it is us."

Gene M. of Franklin, NY:

I've just looked at Myths of Biodiesel and recognized your name. What a fine piece of work! I intend to make many copies and distribute it widely. Fridley does a great job of explaining the material. I worry that it may require more focused attention than most people are capable of these days but we can only try.

Congratulations and warm thanks for your good work. All the best.

Robert A. in Waikanae, New Zealand:

Great lecture, good on you making it free to copy, a true humanitarian act, I will post a link to your site on my site, thanks for the effort, I will be distributing this DVD at a local eco fair next month, I might try selling them, if successful I will send you a donation.

Anita L. in Columbus, Ohio:

The Myths of Biofuels is the most comprehensive work I've ever seen or read on agrofuels, i.e. liquid fuels that are made from plant matter to displace gasoline. David Fridley's knowledge of corn ethanol, cellulosic ethanol, agricultural practices, and energy is extraordinary. Our policymakers need to watch this video and re-think the $6 billion dollars per year they keep throwing at corn ethanol. David also explains how the ethanol promoters are using a "bait and switchgrass" tactic regarding cellulosic ethanol. He and other energy experts are not sure we will ever mass produce cellulosic ethanol and after you watch this amazing DVD, you'll hope we never do.

Arun S. in New Delhi, India:

It is an excellent presentation. I will get a Hindi transcript done. In a day or two, I will prepare a news article for circulation in India.

David has used the core arguments well: energy profit, CO2 balance, trade-off [food vs fuel] and I was quite happy to see the comparision of food and fuel price rise graph.

Please convey my regards to David.

Wily D. in Viroflay, France:

I just received the DVD today and watched it right away. It's really nicely put together. Also, congratulations for the potatoe animation which was really funny (the "ASPP" was a lot of fun). I'm afraid peak oil groups in France are not that well organised yet. You're an example to all of us :o).

K.L. in Silicon Valley, California:

I am sharing my copy with friends.

Fridley's presentation is sort of perfect for "peak oilers" who already have some orientation about the topic, but fortunately there are other DVDs that are good introductions to the topic in general.

As for the talk itself, what can I say? It was enlightening and frightening. I thought it was a very well-structured presentation in terms of pacing and breadth of topics covered. Although I thought the graphics were cute, I'm afraid I did think the "potato/weevil world" interlude was quite a bit longer than it needed to be to make its point. <shrug&rt; The Q&A section really raised some excellent points that had not been covered by Fridley in the bulk of his presentation, and I did notice that hydro power was not mentioned, and as you know hydro has fairly high EROEI/"emergy" ratings. So I guess if I had been in the audience, I would have asked about that. But really, my hat's off to you and everyone behind creating that DVD and allowing it to be shared via Creative Commons. My former wife (who got the other copy) like me had been hugely interested in alternative fuels, and I think Fridley's presentation really points out why that faith is misguided and why we have to apply the intellectual brakes to such enthusiasm. The core intentions are good, but the reality is, we are going to have to overhaul our energy usage dramatically. Things are going to be very different.

(please note: there were also several other comments critical mailed regarding the animation, but one was preceded with a caveat not to post it, the other was an initial reaction that was said would be expanded upon later. If those are expanded upon or allowed, they will also be posted.)