10 Most Important Things That Will Happen In The Next 20 Years

As everybody becomes more and more uncomfortably aware of the fact that fossil fuels are running out fast, there has been a big push to find an alternative. Bio-fuels have a clear advantage, due tot he fact that they literally grow on trees (or in fields, or whatever).

The first generation of bio-fuels were a bit of a false start, with the use of edible ingredients in them causing a spike in food prices around the world. These are made from the sugars and oils found in crops such as corn and sugar beet. The next generation of bio-fuels will be made from lignocellulosic biomass using non-edible sources such as wood chips and elephant grass.

Although they might be our saviour in terms of the oil crisis, bio-fuels are not without their drawbacks. If we can develop properly sustainable ways to produce them, we solve the problem of supply, however, they're not as environmentally friendly as many would have you believe. 

Bio-fuels still produce air pollution when they're burnt and producing large quantities of the raw ingredients leads us to issues with deforestation, soil erosion, loss of biodiversity and depletion of water supplies.

The future of bio-fuels will hopefully at least buy us a bit of time to develop economically viable renewable energy options.