Biofuels May Actually Deplete Atmospheric Ozone

I read a scientific study today from CO₂ Science that indicates biofuels may be harmful to the atmosphere. It is a well-documented reality that biofuels do not emit less CO₂ than fossil fuels as they are purported to do.

Now, there is a scientific paper that suggests biofuels deplete ozone in the atmosphere. The ozone layer protects the surface of the Earth from intense solar UV radiation.

Image: a humorous look at how to put biofuels into your gas tank

The paper notes that nitrogen-based fertilizer used in the production of crops to be used in biofuels, cause nitrous oxide (N₂O) to be emitted when burning them. N₂O is yet another greenhouse gas that has been known for over 40 years to deplete stratospheric ozone.

The conclusion from the CO₂ Science report follows:

In light of their findings, as [the authors] state in the concluding sentence of their report, “increased biofuels production and consumption could therefore be damaging to the ozone layer,” which would be detrimental to the biosphere due to the fact that the stratospheric ozone layer filters out much of the harmful UV-B radiation coming from the sun, which otherwise could do much damage to earth’s terrestrial plants.

I emphasized that last statement to point out the potential vicious cycle of destroying or adversely affecting the crops from which the fuels are made. This whole biofuel debacle is just another example of the liberal “superstition trumps science” untruth.