Comments ioman01 has made

LCAs are rarely universally applicable

I struggled mightily with this issue last year in preparing a blog article on Mabesa's announcement that they would market an "environment-friendly" diaper throughout Latin America (the regional focus of my blog).  As part of the prep, I looked at what LCAs exist on the subject.  And I'll repeat something that I pointed out last year: whether you think the LCA is well-done and complete or not, it usually only applies to where it was done and the local factors utilized.  So a LCA done in the UK might not be fully valid for, say, midwest USA or Australia.

This is even more the case when looking at developing nations such as those in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). LCA's on diapers that I have seen assume certain energy and water consumption rates, availability of sewage treatment, waste collection and disposal services, and other factors that can differ significantly in the LAC context.

For example, when a study assumes a certain usage of the household clothes washer to launder cloth diapers and the average water and energy efficiency those washers have, what happens in places in LAC where many households do not even have a washer, and if they do, they have an older, less efficient model? Or what is the risk of water and air contamination from soiled disposable diapers in LAC nations where uncontrolled dumps are the norm rather than sanitary landfills? Or can you assume it is environmentally preferable to remove fecal matter from diapers and flush it down household toilets (assuming they have a working one, not always the case) when the sewage in that city is not actually treated, or is treated in only the most rudimentary fashion? How does the fact that the household may only have running water and working electricity a few hours in the day (as in many parts of the Dominican Republic) affect the calculations?

My own intuitive guess is that in most circumstances, a complete LCA utilizing the conditions common in LAC nations would find reusable cloth diapers environmentally preferable to disposables, even partially biodegradable diapers with organic cotton in them (such as Mabesa is promoting), except in areas where water conservation is a significant concern. But I don't have the data to back that up -- not yet, at least. On Umbra on the never-ending diaper ado posted 1 year, 5 months ago 25 Responses

Biofuels and Central America

Barclay's article on biofuels development in Central America and Brazil's role therein was quite informative and thorough, and I'll be referencing it my own blog.  The only thing she left out are the efforts of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America & the Caribbean (ECLAC/CEPAL) to help the Central American nations design their biofuels and related policies.

Regards,
Keith ROn An interview with Mary Beth Stanek, General Motors energy director posted 2 years, 11 months ago 6 Responses

Biofuels and Central America

Barclay's article on biofuels development in Central America and Brazil's role therein was quite informative and thorough, and I'll be referencing it my own blog.  The only thing she left out are the efforts of the UN Economic Commission for Latin America & the Caribbean (ECLAC/CEPAL) to help the Central American nations design their biofuels and related policies.

Regards,
Keith ROn What we've learned from the biofuels series posted 2 years, 11 months ago 6 Responses

Actually, I didn't say it was a scam per se...

...at least not in the Brazilian context.  I am simply worried what might be done in LAC countries in the name of pursuing ethanol (or any other biofuel, for that matter) production.

In what I said before on Brazil, note I carefully used the word "biofuels," not "ethanol," because the Brazilian energy plan foresees use of several different types of biofuel, not just ethanol (the latter seems to be the fixation of Washington).  These include biodiesel (up to 28 mil. l/d by 2030), diesel made with vegetable oils (H-Bio) (up to 244 mil. l/d by 2030), and "sugarcane products" (i.e., bioethanol and combusting bagasse for power generation).

Laws promoting greater use of biodiesel are already in place in Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Peru, and a bill is pending in Colombia.  

The Grist article noted concern about the palm plantations in Colombia aimed at biofuel production.  The state-owned hydrocarbons company, Ecopetrol, just announced that it's getting into biodiesel production utilizing palm oil.

The sugar giant Südzucker, which runs one of the biggest bioethanol plants in the world in Europe, just announced that it investing in major bioethanol and biodiesel production in Chile using wheat and beetroot -- but is demanding a more favorable regulatory regime and crop guarantees in return for the investment.  These kind of sweeheart deals rarely work out to be a good deal for the host country.

Argentina adopted a biofuel law earlier this year, and comprehensive biofuel bills (covering bioethanol, biodiesel, biomethanol, bio-dimethyl ether, synthetic biofuels, biohydrogen & PVO) are pending in Costa Rica.  A similar bill was proposed last year in Mexico.On A look at the impacts of biofuels production, in the U.S. and the world posted 2 years, 12 months ago 13 Responses

Brazil and Biofuels

Interesting article!  I share the concerns expressed about runaway monocultures in pursuit of the biofuels bandwagon, and plan a blog soon on this issue in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) context (my own focus).  Given the history of agri-business and land use development in the region, particularly in the Amazon, it's hard to be optimistic.

Interesting to me is how the Brazilian government's just-released energy plan up to 2030 downplays the role of biofuels, other renewable sources (wind, solar, micro hydro), energy conservation and energy efficiency measures, while stressing expanded nuclear, coal, natural gas and Big Hydro.  This vision differs dramatically from the one put forth by NGOs in Sept.-Oct., sparking a public row with the government's energy planning people.  Details at http://www.temasactuales.com/temasblog/?p=62 On A look at the impacts of biofuels production, in the U.S. and the world posted 2 years, 12 months ago 13 Responses