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 era of cheap food for Asia is over as surging demand, supply problems and the growing production of biofuels will keep food prices high, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) warned Tuesday. In its latest Asia Economic Monitor report, the Manila-based lender warned that while previous food price surges were …
Makarand Gadgil / Mumbai July 22, 2008, 3:32 IST There is a big buzz around ethanol blending with petrol as it is seen as providing relief for the consumers of this scarce commodity when international prices have seen unprecedented spike in the last few months. But ethanol manufacturers are an …
Shastry V. Mallady MADURAI: A bio-diesel plant, with a capacity to produce 1,000 litres a day, has been sanctioned for the State by the Department of Science and Technology, New Delhi. Southern Railway is likely to buy the product from the plant. The Tamil Nadu State Council for Science and …
Terry Macalister Last month, OPEC warned western countries that their efforts to develop bio-fuels to combat climate change risked driving the price of oil through the roof. The global bio-fuels sector has launched a ferocious attack on the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) oil cartel by accusing it …
Aalgae, the saviour? AFP OSLO AS THE world mulls the question of how to satisfy a seemingly endless appetite for energy and still slash greenhouse gas emissions, researchers have stumbled upon an unexpected hero: algae. So-called micro algae hold enormous potential when it comes to reining in both climate change, …
Sujay Mehdudia Owing to political instability at the Centre NEW DELHI: With international crude oil prices touching a whopping $147 a barrel, the search for alternative sources has intensified. However, the political uncertainty over the India-U.S. nuclear deal has delayed the announcement of a bio-fuel policy, outlining incentives for those …
In their reports in the 29 February issue ("Land clearing and the biofuel carbon debt," J. Fargione et al., p. 1235, and "Use of U.S. croplands for biofuels increases greenhouse gases through emissions from land-use change," T. Searchinger et al., p. 1238), the authors do not provide adequate support for …
Food is a priority for the world A secret World Bank report has nailed the lie that the biofuels policy of the developed countries led by the US and the UK has not contributed to the international food crisis. Most of the world, including India, is convinced that the policy, …
Maulik Pathak / Ahmedabad July 10, 2008, 0:20 IST With oil flowing past $145 a barrel, leading companies in the country have lined up plans to explore opportunities in jatropha cultivation and prospects of biofuel. The companies are flocking to Gujarat, which has earmarked 1,900,000 acres in the Narmada region …
Sudha Mahalingam With global carbon galloping, you can neither negotiate nor argue with Gaia. Not when she is on her sick bed. We need a paradigm shift in the way we perceive development. The just released Prime Minister's National Action Plan on Climate Change acknowledges the potentially adverse impact of …
NEW DELHI: The Inter-Governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has hoped that the ongoing G8 Summit in Japan would address the issue of biofuel policies, including subsidy that was contributing to the rising food prices, which could push an additional 100 million people into poverty. Talking to journalists here on …
Criticism of biofuel erupted when in certain countries in the western hemisphere a staple food crop like maze-and also soybean, sugarcane and various oilseed crops--began to be used for extensive ethanol production- Atul Cowshish Not very long away biofuel was hailed as the best and the cheapest alternative to fossil …
Groups of women in Zambia started providing energy services like battery charging, irrigation, milling and welding, to the community by using a replacing diesel with jatropha oil that they produce themselves.
This review examines evidence of the indirect effects of increasing demand for biofuels and makes recommendations that provide a direction for policy to deliver sustainable biofuels into the UK and EU transport fuels market. The review has been undertaken by the Renewable Fuels Agency at the request of the UK …
In a world of rapidly rising greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and growing unease about imported oil, the appeal of renewable fuels is growing apace. Biofuels
The production of liquid biofuels is rapidly increasing in developing countries, due mainly to the establishment of large-scale biofuel feedstock plantations. This results in potential socio-economic benefits, particularly in terms of agricultural employment, as well as risks,which tend to be context-specific. This paper explores the potential gender-differentiated risks associated with …
The rapid increase in food prices in many countries has led to substantial media attention on agriculture. This publication does not attempt to cover everything there is to know about agricultural ecosystems. Rather, it tries to present well documented facts and figures to better understand the challenges facing the sustainable …
