Do It Yourself

on traditional fossil fuels is likely to cause us great concern in the future. When petroleum is made, greenhouse gases are guaranteed and we now know how this is affecting the planet’s average annual 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. Consequently, governments are starting to consider taxation of carbon itself, forcing organisations through market pressures to reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and increase their energy efficiency. This could help to balance the playing field for biodiesel fuel. If traditional petroleum fuels become even more expensive due to carbon related costs, biodiesel fuel will become more palatable.

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. People will experiment with ways of making biodiesel and commercial solutions will emerge around the country.

Our agricultural producers have been worried about a decline in demand for their goods in recent years. 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? It is sobering to realise that by the 2020s, two thirds of fuel purchased revenues could be lost to foreign countries.

Sustainability is going to be a very hot topic during this new decade. The biodiesel industry should ensure that it’s front and centre to this argument. 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?