From K. T. van Santen
The difference between the short and long-term carbon cycles seems to be overlooked in “The rush towards renewable oil” (21 May, p 6).
Planting tomatoes and trees or growing algae only “offsets” fossil-fuel carbon emissions until the tomato is eaten and respired, the tree dies and rots or the biofuel is burned; the carbon from the fossil fuel is re-released and still eventually contributes to global warming.
The statement that “firms would no longer have to invest in technology to bury the greenhouse gas [carbon dioxide] safely” is short-sighted.
The purpose of renewable oil is to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, not to permit their use.
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Plymouth, Devon, UK
