As global warming and the carbon emissions that exacerbate it continue to increase, green sources of transportation are becoming more and more sought out. While electric vehicles have risen in popularity, many streams of electricity still come from fossils fuels and unsustainable sources. However, an unexpectedly sweet solution has made headway in Brazil: sugarcane. Ethanol is a type of renewable fuel sources from biomass, and sugarcane-based ethanol is not only one of the most efficient on the market, but also abundant in Brazil.
Jennifer Eaglin, assistant professor of history and Sustainability Institute associated faculty member released her new book Sweet Fuel: A Political and Environmental History of Brazilian Ethanol, detailing how the well-known industry became what is today. On Tuesday May 10, Eaglin and fellow associate professor of history Nicholas Breyfogle spoke in a free public event about sweet fuel and the details of Eaglin’s book.
The virtual webinar, hosted by the College of Arts and Sciences, highlights both the positive environmental effect and hidden dark costs of Brazil’s ethanol. Eaglin also discusses the role of the United States, a big corn-ethanol producer. The U.S. and Brazil signed a memorandum of understanding to promote ethanol consumption in the western hemisphere, and both have been active since.
Watch or listen to the whole webinar on YouTube, SoundCloud, or the Origins website.
Listen to Eaglin's feature on the Resources Radio podcast here.