biomass instead of fossil fuels

Continuing the theme of "what if land rent makes fossil fuels more expensive," I have long been a fan of biomass. Most cars can already run on vegetable oil with a little tuning. Result: zero net emissions, and no need to pump billions into exotic new technologies.

The Achilles heel of biomass is that it requires a lot of land to grow the stuff. But that is less and less of a problem (scroll down to 'the grass is greener'). Ten per cent of Europe's farm land could provide ten percent of Europe's energy. And Europe is a crowded place. What if we pay North African countries to irrigate their vast semi-desert areas? A solution to poverty, desertification, global warming, oil shortage, and a dozen other major problems all solved in one go. Sweet. :)