Mascoma Corporation - Environment

Because consumption of fossil fuels results in a net release of green house gasses that are damaging to our environment, our use of them is dangerous to all life on the planet. It is important to explore alternative technologies that will reduce our need for fossil fuels and minimize our impact on the environment. Global Climate Change studies have concluded that using cellulosic ethanol instead of fossil fuels will significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. A recently published analysis conducted jointly by Dartmouth College and the Natural Resources Defense Council, estimated that substitution of cellulosic biofuels for gasoline can reduce greenhouse gas production by as much as 80 to 95 percent. These levels could be increased even further by using energy crops such as switchgrass that restore a significant amount of carbon to the soil. Rather than burning fossil fuels and releasing tens of millions of years of stored up carbon, the use of renewable plant materials as fuel synchronizes mankind with a real-time carbon cycle of our planet.

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