CoP 11 treads middle ground on biofuels

The ongoing biodiversity convention in Hyderabad seems undecided about the impacts of biofuels on the environment.

Global food crisis: causes and implications for India

  Africa

Biofuels more dangerous than fossil fuels

biofuels have often been billed as the silver bullets of climate change. In recent times, however, their benefits have come under scrutiny. One analysis suggests that clearing forests and savannah to grow biofuels releases vast amount of carbon into the atmosphere, far more than the carbon spared from the atmosphere by substituting fossil fuels with biofuels.

In Short

>> Virgin Airlines owner Richard Branson recently claimed to have made history by launching the first biofuel-powered commercial flight from London to Amsterdam. The debatable point is it took 150,000 coconuts and some babassu palm oil from the Amazon rainforest to power 20 per cent of one of four tanks of the airliner.

Budget 2008: missing the big picture

The 2008 Union budget must be remembered. Not because it heralds an early election, but because it comes at a time when the world is battling four different but inter-linked developments. First, there is the impending us recession, which is already causing our financial markets to tumble. Second, crude oil price--this week, it has reached a record high of over us $100 a barrel, astoundingly up from us $35 a barrel just a few years ago.

EU's energy plan offers relief to eastern nations

the European Union has come up with a new energy plan. It envisages reducing emissions by 20 per cent by 2020. eu will convert a fifth of its energy to renewable energy and biofuels by then. On January 23, eu's executive arm announced mandatory target for biofuels. They will supply 10 per cent of all road fuel.

EU takes note of negative impacts of biofuel, plans policy change

the European Union is planning to ban certain biofuels, saying their social and environmental impacts are dangerous. eu is likely to review its draft policy on biofuels to effect the ban. The proposed ban will affect import of palm oil from southeast Asia, and soya and ethanol from Latin America. eu's environment commissioner Stavros Dimas spoke about these concerns on January 14--days before it finalizes the biofuel policy.

Florida's draft motor rules

The us state Florida has come up with draft motor fuel rules that aims to boost ethanol blending in the country's third largest petrol market.

China offers incentive for non-food biofuel

China's Ministry of Finance has drawn up policies to promote the production of non-food sources for biofuels. Under the plan, the ministry will offer subsidies of about 3,000 yuan (us $408) for each hectare of biofuel plantations. Industrial projects producing ethanol from cellulose, sweet sorghum and cassava will receive rewards ranging from 20 to 40 per cent of the total investment. The government will also provide flexible subsidies to biofuel producers if they lose money on crops in the highly volatile crude oil market.

Zimbabwe on jatropha drive

The government of Zimbabwe plans to construct biofuel plants in all its 10 provinces by 2010. Under the plan, massive jatropha plantations will be initiated after January 2008. "The plant grows well in dry areas such as Matabeleland South and Masvingo. This means, it can be grown in other parts of the country as well," says the minister of science and technology, Olivia Muchena. The plant will also produce 1,500 by-products to substitute commodities like lubricants and soap, which the country imports.