Engaging Points On The Potential For Widespread Adoption Of Biodiesel
The adoption of biodiesel and its integration within our society face a number of complex, interdependent or exclusive challenges. While there is, as yet, only a limited amount of comprehensively researched data available, many factors are changing in favour of biodiesel fuel. Only a decade ago, widespread adoption of this alternative seemed less likely, but this is changing very quickly.
We are all becoming very aware how traditional fossil fuels have caused damage and become a great concern for the future. Greenhouse gases associated with the production of petroleum and our other energy needs are causing a highly detrimental change to our planet’s average temperature. This type of climate change is leading to results that we can already see and we can be very worried about the problems that could face future generations. We know that we must make changes and reduce our reliance on these traditional forms, yet to this point change has been slow to come. We often do not like changes and challenges to the way that we exist and we certainly do not like additional economic costs associated. It seems clear that to adopt alternative ways of producing and using energy will result in competitive disadvantage, if compared to communities or economies that do not.
If we’re slow to act, scientists and environmentalists tell us that harm could become irreversible. Governments are listening and may well consider taxation of carbon, ensuring that organisations become more efficient and reduce their reliance on fossil fuel. For biodiesel, this could help to balance the playing field. When traditional fuels become more expensive due to this carbon tax, biodiesel fuel will become more attractive.
Further to that, as society becomes increasingly more worried about climate change, it is likely to turn toward measures and solutions that are seen as being far “greener.” As such, even if biodiesel fuels represent a premium over other fuels and even if they are somewhat more difficult to locate, such a trend may nevertheless push for more adoption. Ways of making biodiesel will be explored and commercial solutions will begin to spring up in more and more places.
Farmers have been worried about declining demand for their products in recent times. These days, homemade biodiesel can be made from vegetable oils and surplus oils, together with animal fats and soybeans, for example could easily provide the raw material needed to produce the fuel. Wouldn’t it be nice to keep the revenues from production and sale of our fuels within our communities and keep them from flooding overseas? By the 2020s, fully two thirds of the revenues associated with fuel purchase could be filtering its way to foreign countries, unless we’re careful.
Sustainability is going to be a very hot topic during this new decade. The biodiesel industry will be very much to the fore. With so much at stake, not only with respect to the long term financial stability of our country, but also the priceless global sustainability which could be achieved, can any of us really afford to continue to wait until someone in power makes a decision?
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