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 …
The production of biofuels is fuelling poverty, human rights abuses and damage to the environment, Christian Aid has warned. The charity said huge subsidies and targets in developed countries for boosting the production of fuels from plants such as maize and oil palm are exacerbating environmental and social problems in …
Global carbon dioxide emissions in 2008 rose 1.94 percent year-on-year to 31.5 billion metric tons, German renewable energy industry institute IWR said on Monday, based on official information and its own research. The private institute, which is based in Muenster and advises German ministries, said climate-harming carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions …
The ethanol industry called for requirements that all vehicles sold in the United States accept high blends of the alternative motor fuel as part of a push to lower greenhouse gas emissions and provide jobs at home. A low-carbon fuel standard, which would spur use of alternative fuels, more ethanol …
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency did a reasonable job in estimating the U.S. biofuel industry's role in causing greenhouse gas emissions overseas, but some of the work was problematic, a scientific review panel concluded on Friday. EPA ordered the independent review in May, when it proposed regulations for expansion of …
Bangladesh's central bank has launched a 2 billion taka ($29 million) refinance scheme for renewable energy in an effort to help ease power and gas crisis and reduce pollution. A maximum 100 percent refinance facilities will be provided to the commercial banks against their lending to solar projects, bio-gas plants …
150 research papers and over 40 posters presented 205 participants shared their expertise CHENNAI: An International Conference on Algal Biomass, Resources and Utilisation (ICABRU- 2009) was organised in the city recently by the Krishnamurthy Institute of Algology and the Department of Plant Biology and Plant Biotechnology of Stella Maris College. …
Emami Biotech, a part of the Rs 2,000-crore Emami Group, will invest Rs 400 crore in a plantation project over five years in Oromia in Ethiopia. The company will engage in plantation of biofuel crops (jatropha) and other edible and non-edible oil seeds on 100,000 acres allotted to Emami Biotech …
The boreal forests of Scandinavia offer a considerable resource base, and use of the resource for the production of less carbon-intensive alternative transport fuel is one strategy being considered in Norway. Here, we quantify the resource potential and investigate the environmental implications of wood-based transportation relative to a fossil reference …
New fuel regulations based on life cycle greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have focused renewed attention on life cycle models of biofuels. The BESS model estimates 25% lower life cycle GHG emissions for corn ethanol than does the well-known GREET model, which raises questions about which model is more accurate. I …
This report presents a side-by-side comparison of fuels and vehicles with the recognition that future technological advances or additional research into unresolved issues, such as the land-use impact of biofuel production, could alter findings and make certain options more or less attractive. The report examines the benefits and challenges of …
The assessment of energy and greenhouse gas balances is part of a larger effort by UN-Energy to provide decision making tools and aids to Governments and others involved in the planning and implementation of bioenergy development. The report
The recent spike in food prices has led to a renewal of interest in agricultural issues and in the long-term drivers of food prices. Urbanization has been mentioned as one possible cause of higher food prices. This paper examines some of the links through which urbanization is considered to be …
This review provides an overview of the potential for bioenergy and the challenges associated with its increased deployment. It discusses opportunities and risks in relation to resources, technologies, practices, markets and policy. The aim is to provide insights into the opportunities and required actions for the development of a sustainable …
This recent report cautions that the production of biofuels is fuelling poverty, human rights abuses and damage to the environment. Includes case studies of communities which are growing biofuels on a small scale to supply their own energy needs. This report reviews the evidence and concludes that biofuels are not …
This paper analyzes biofuels certification within the optic of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and proposes requirements for compliance with the international trading system. The paper explains how the compatibility of a biofuels-certification measure with international trade rules is determined from several perspectives, to determine whether the nondiscrimination rules of …
This paper analyzes biofuels certification within the optic of the World Trade Organization (WTO) and proposes requirements for compliance with the international trading system. The paper explains how the compatibility of a biofuels-certification measure with international trade rules is determined from several perspectives, to determine whether the nondiscrimination rules of …
In the first half of 2008, the world was facing the highest food price levels in 30 years and a global food insecurity crisis. Although international food prices have since fallen, they are still above the levels seen in recent years and are expected to remain so. FAO estimates that …
The US's stance on climate change has shifted beyond recognition. President Barack Obama's science adviser John Holdren tells Graham Lawton how the US will put its house in order, secure a deal at the make-or-break summit in Copenhagen, and lead the world's fight against dangerous climate change.
U.S. start-up Joule Biotechnologies hopes to make commercial amounts of motor fuel by feeding engineered organisms high concentrations of carbon dioxide and sunlight, its top executive said. The Cambridge, Massachusetts-based company, which launched on Monday, hopes to make up to 20,000 gallons per acre of fuel a year by late …
A catalyst made out of shrimp shells may churn out faster, cheaper and greener biodiesel, according to a new study. Xinsheng Zheng and colleagues, who led the study in China, described the development of a new catalyst produced from shrimp shells. Shrimps In lab tests, the shrimp shell catalysts converted …
