Booklist

This dry but focused entry in the Future of Renewable Energy series presents in pro-and-con format a rigidly structured set of opposing views on the cost of biofuels, their putative benefits, environmental impact, and general likelihood of replacing fossil fuels anytime soon. Also covered is whether the government should be involved in encouraging biofuel development. Each chapter opens with brief position statements and then expands upon them with frequent references to recently published statistics and publications. Brightly colored charts or tables and, more rarely, photos provide additional information (plus some visual relief). The back matter includes endnotes and summary bullet points followed by large quantities of relevant print and web resources. In general, the pro biofuel arguments focus on long-term potential, which gives the cons, largely fixated on present obstacles, a less-compelling thrust—at least, intellectually. Readers after information about what biofuels are or how they are made should look elsewhere, but this offers a convenient, if not entirely evenhanded, gathering of material for reports or formal debates on the question. Use this as a younger-student alternative to Hal Marcovitz’s Can Renewable Energy Replace Fossil Fuels? (2010). — John Peters