There’s something very weird about this story, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. According to a press release from the University of Texas at Austin, researchers there have just been given USD 4.6 million “to study impact of climate change on potential biofuel source”. The potential biofuel source is switchgrass, which may, one-day, provide useful amounts of ethanol. But hang on. The reason switchgrass is suddenly interesting is that is could substitute for petroleum. And that’s a good idea because it might slow the emission of greenhouse gasses such as carbon dioxide. So they’re going to study how climate change affects switchgrass, which may alter climate change, which may change the use of switchgrass?
My head’s reeling. Someone help me.
Actually, it’s not really about the impact of climate change. That’s a big part of the headline and a small part of the study, which is more about how different switchgrass varieties perform under different conditions, especially on the more marginal land that is most likely to be used for growing biofuels. The researchers will also be asking how the different varieties respond to the different growing conditions that are predicted under different climate change scenarios.
Oh no, the spinning sensation, it’s starting again.