The Water Footprint of Drink or Drive Issue?

The article discusses the environmental impact that water consumption and agrochemical use could have, during the production of biofuels such as ethanol, on the availability and quality of the resource. Meeting the global challenge of providing inexpensive and clean water could be intensified by the increasing demand for biofuels or transportation biofuel needs including the need for large quantities of water to grow the fuel crops and water pollution due to agricultural drainage which contain fertilizers, pesticides, and sediment. Topics include how these potential drawbacks are balanced by the potential of biofuels to ease dependence on foreign oil, improve trade balance(s), and mitigate air pollution through the reduction of fossil carbon emissions.