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 …
Forty percent of the world’s hungry people lived in South Asia even before the food price crisis of 2008. Hunger stalks the entire region, from the mountain slopes of Nepal to the arid plains of southern Afghanistan. Although large-scale famines have largely been kept at bay, millions of poor people …
In May 2011, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) presented its report on potential of renewable energy (RE) which emphasizes significant future role of RE in cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and powering sustainable development. A global team of technological experts and scientists reviewed over 160 scenarios on the …
The rise in agricultural commodities prices has led to the lowest support by rich countries to their farmers in nearly three decades, according to new figures released by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development. The share of farmers income derived of subsidies fell in 2010 to 18 per cent …
The spores survived and germinated after being exposed to 115 degree C for two hours Can the mesophilic fungal spores that normally grow at 20 degree C to 35 degree C survive higher temperatures and still be able to germinate when the conditions are right? Believe it or not, laboratory …
Washington: Believe it or not, a scientist in UK has built a microwave which he claims can turn orange peel into oil. James Clark at the University of York says the highpowered microwave could break down the molecules in fruit peel to release gases that could be collected and distilled …
Existing targets for biofuels and other forms of bioenergy are based on flawed carbon accounting and should be revised downwards, a draft report by a panel of 19 top European scientists showed. "It is widely assumed that bioenergy is inherently carbon-neutral -- however this assumption is flawed," said the Scientific …
KOLKATA, 11 SEPT: The “twin city” agreement between Naples and Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), signed way back in 2003, is going to open a new chapter with an NGO coming up with an initiative to organise a programme to encourage use of renewable energy as part of the agreement. Ms …
Increased focus has been placed on the issues of energy access and energy poverty over the last number of years, most notably indicated by the United Nations (UN) declaring 2012 as the “International Year of Sustainable Energy for All”. Although attention in these topics has increased, incorrect assumptions and misunderstandings …
The links between climate change and industrial agriculture create a nexus of crises—food insecurity, natural resource depletion and degradation, as well as human rights violations and inequities. A central theme throughout this report is that policies and practices must begin with the ecological imperative in order to ensure authentic security …
This report surveys the publicly available estimates of subsidies to biofuels and conventional liquid transport fuels, including both consumption subsidies and the production subsidies provided to the oil industry. This report: reviews the information currently available for each fuel type; describes the principal methods for quantifying subsidies; identifies the major …
Palm oil expansion in Southeast Asia is strongly associated with conversion and degradation of peatland. Find that past studies have generally significantly underestimated emissions from palm oil grown on peatland. In particular, this will have resulted in underestimation of the indirect land use change emissions from many biofuels. Suggest that …
With the rapid growth of biofuel production and consumption and the proliferation of policy decisions supporting this expansion, concerns about the biofuel sector’s environmental and social impacts are increasing. Consequently, a range of actors – among them governments, multilateral institutions, nongovernmental organisations and multistakeholder industry groups – have created sustainability …
Germany's government and its oil industry association on Tuesday disagreed about whether the country can reach its 2011 biofuel use quotas as sales of a new gasoline blend with a higher biofuel content remain sluggish. The German government this year raised the maximum permitted level of bioethanol blended in gasoline …
It could reduce the pressure on native forests but the rapid expansion in bamboo plantations is in danger of making it the latest in a long line of tarnished 'wonder crops'
Lax trade restrictions and high sugar prices should allow the United States to overtake Brazil in ethanol exports during the second half of 2011, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday. During the first five months of 2011 U.S. ethanol exports more than doubled from the same period last …
U.S. ethanol production bounced back in the last week with good demand helping offset high prices for key ingredient corn. The Energy Information Administration said on Wednesday that U.S. ethanol production totaled 904,000 barrels per day, up 5,000 barrels per day from the previous week. "Production is up because demand …
Generating energy from crops instead of oil and coal can have counterproductive effects. “The use of biomass can lead to additional emissions of greenhouse gases”, says lead author Alexander Popp of the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK). “This is the case if forests get cut down to plant …
The US President, Mr Barack Obama, today highlighted the need to develop biofuels out of things that do not involve fuel chain, arguing that increase in demand from India and China would drive up the food prices. “As you see more and more demand placed on our food supplies around …
The Obama administration on Tuesday announced a $510 million initiative to boost the production of next-generation biofuels. Under the plan sponsored by the Navy, Energy and Agriculture departments, companies will be invited to bid on new biofuel projects where the government will match the investment. "The President understands that for …
This report provides an overview of new and renewable sources of energy, detailing their current status and prospects for deployment. It also describes the efforts for the promotion of new and renewable energy at the national and international levels, as well as options for coordinated global energy strategies.
