Summary

Chapter 25, “New Technologies,” is divided into six subsections and followed by a section wrap-up. In it, Muller states that energy conservation will be the main driving force to combat climate change, but that new technological developments get most of the attention.

“Biofuels,” are made from a variety of plants. Some of them are more efficient than others. Ethanol made from Brazilian sugar cane is more efficient than ethanol made from American corn, both in terms of getting more miles to the gallon and in terms of taking less fertilizer and energy to grow. Brazil started its biofuel program not for environmental reasons, but to decrease its dependency on oil from other countries. Biofuels are also complicated by the fact that they are often produced using crops that are also sold as food, thereby driving up the costs of food. U.S. ethanol...