This briefing paper reviews evidence of the impacts of the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) on food prices, with a focus on corn and soy, and presents new analysis on the impact of the RFS on U.S. livestock farmers. Studies examining the relationship between food prices and biofuel demand conclude …
Scaling-up existing sustainable transportation technologies can help the transportation sector and governments to reach their sustainability and carbon emissions reduction targets. However, it also holds great potential for job creation and long-term sustained economic growth. In order to achieve this, Sustainable Transportation Ecosystem, a report released by the World Economic …
Recent years have seen ‘land grabbing’ emerge as a big issue in media houses across the world, with reporters quick to write about deals involving millions of hectares, particularly within Africa. Yet large-scale land acquisitions are not a purely African phenomenon. Other parts of the world are also subject to …
The model described in this working paper, the National Bioenergy Investment Model (NBIM), simulates the decisions of domestic and international direct investors on whether to invest in biofuel projects in a developing country. The model can inform scenarios that assess the potential contribution of biofuel production to national development goals. …
Companies and countries have experienced ups and downs in the worldwide clean energy race in recent years, and 2011 was no exception. For consumers, however, the clean energy race has been consistently positive, driving down prices and interjecting new renewable energy choices into a marketplace dominated by century-old technologies. Price …
This report will examine the effects of European biofuels policies on global and local food security and food rights, land rights, climate change, labour rights and women’s rights. It will do so by referring both to independent modelling analyses of how food rights and land rights have been affected by …
This policy paper addresses the rapidly evolving energy sector of India and the growth of first-generation biofuels as an alternative to fossil-based transportation fuels. The paper assesses the broad ramifications of the rapid and large–scale development of biofuels in India with the objective of identifying production potential and constraints to …
A maroon car, powered by fuel obtained from photosynthetic microorganisms, was flagged off for a test run by Union minister of Science and Technology and Earth Sciences, Vilasrao Deshmukh in New Delhi on March 30. The event brings alternative fuels from microorganisms closer to reality. With fossil fuels set to …
The oil seed has burnt farmers and investors alike Money may not grow on trees, but for a time it appeared to grow on bushes – specifically, a tropical shrub called jatropha curcas. Over the past decade, jatropha was planted on millions of acres across Asia and sub-Saharan Africa after …
Sugarcane-based electricity generation projects in Brazil are being blown out of the water by wind power and other lower-cost energy alternatives, slowing ambitions to expand one of Brazil's largest potential new sources of clean energy, experts said. The world's No. 1 sugar producer and No. 2 ethanol maker amasses 140 …
Contrasting lessons from Germany's 20-year pursuit of solar and wind power shows how other countries might create industrial champions to develop new energy technologies. A long-term, global energy recipe for climate change and security may be emerging, as countries plan broadly to shift to gas from coal, to electricity and …
Clean energy, with double-digit growth rates and competition spanning Europe, Asia, and the Americas, has been a dynamic and forward-looking industry for more than a decade. This report is the 11th annual edition in Clean Edge's Clean Energy Trends report series. From tracking, forecasting, and market sizing the global solar, …
This background document presents a full overview of the measures and actions that address the international dimension of agricultural policy. These include a wide variety of activities, which show how the EU is promoting and defending the EU agriculture sector in a changing world environment and contributing to sustainable economic …
FAO’s Bioenergy and Food Security Criteria and Indicators (BEFSCI) project has developed a set of indicators that be used to assess the impacts of bioenergy on food security at both national and levels. In addition, BEFSCI has identified range of possible responses to these impacts. Modern bioenergy development, through its …
The FAO’s Bioenergy and Food Security Criteria and Indicators (BEFSCI) project has compiled a set of thirty relevant tools and methodologies that can be used to inform the development of a sustainable bioenergy sector and of sustainable operations, and to assess, both ex-ante and ex-post, the main environmental and socio-economic …
In order to ensure that modern bioenergy development is sustainable and that it safeguards food security, a number of good practices can be implemented throughout the bioenergy supply chain. Building on FAO’s work on good practices in agriculture and forestry, the FAO’s Bioenergy and Food Security Criteria and Indicators (BEFSCI) …
Sustainable agriculture and healthy nutrition are high on the social agenda. Work is now being done to face both challenges, often with measurable success. However, huge changes are still needed and some problems have even been exacerbated. Although agriculture and nutrition are closely linked, both issues are often dealt with …
This report, produced through a partnership between the business leaders’ initiative 3C (Combat Climate Change) and the Stockholm Environment Institute, gauges the availability of biomass for low-carbon energy and other uses in the context of sustainability and competing demands. Biomass is a promising source of renewable low-carbon energy, but it’s …
Smog digest is a news service on vehicular pollution based on news clippings selected from leading Indian newspapers and newsmagazine. It also highlights the key developments from South Asian countries. The months witnessed lots of action and developments on the vehicular pollution front in India.
Energy security has become a national issue and several attempts are being made to seek viable alternatives in the form of renewable energy to meet the futuristic needs. Biofuel production from microalgae is considered as an effective strategy in this endeavour. Seven microalgae, viz. Chlorella, Haematococcus, Ulothrix, Chlorococcum, Scenedesmus, Rivularia …
A recent international conference on climate change and sustainable agriculture in New Delhi brought forth the shocking realisation that there are no conclusive studies in India on the prospective impact of climate change on the agriculture sector including livestock and fisheries. Much of the country's understanding comes from global data …
