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 …
Jatropha is still being touted as a biofuel wonder crop. But there is evidence that jatropha does not deliver on its promises. This new report lists ten reasons why jatropha is neither a profitable nor a sustainable investment.
This study analyzes the long-term impacts of large-scale expansion of biofuels on land-use change, food supply and prices, and the overall economy in various countries or regions using a global computable general equilibrium model, augmented by a land-use module and detailed representation of biofuel sectors. The study finds that an …
International Energy Agency’s (IEA) Bioenergy Task has published a report for policy makers titled “Bioenergy, Land Use Change and Climate Change Mitigation,” which addresses how the climate change mitigation from the use of bioenergy can be influenced by greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions arising from land-use change. The report considers biofuels …
The rich nations must invest in the R&D; of producing cheap wind and solar energies for the benefit of all and this should be taken as a big business opportunity to enhance their economies, says P P Sangal KYOTO Protocol of 1997 on climate change is expiring in 2012 and …
In his news story "Is there a road ahead for cellulosic ethanol?" (Special section on Scaling up Alternative Energy, 13 August, p. 784), R. F. Service identifies factors contributing to fading enthusiasm for cellulosic ethanol and observes that policy-makers' decisions this year could shape the nascent U.S. biofuels industry for …
In the present world scenario bio-diesel has been accepted as a clean alternative fuel. Thus even before the Copenhagen Summit on climate change was held during December 2009, the participating world countries had already started fixing the mammoth targets for emission cut, which require more stringent steps in the energy …
India and the United States signed an agreement on Monday to establish a virtual centre to promote research, development and deployment in the area of clean energy technologies. Under the pact, the two countries would each contribute $5 million every year for supporting collaborative R&D; projects involving academics and private …
CLEAN energy initiatives are expected to figure in the meetings between President Obama and PM Manmohan Singh. India and the US are likely to announce the setting up of a centre for cooperating on developing clean energy, including solar power and biofuels. This is part of the green partnership that …
This publication presents case studies from across the country that illustrate the utilization of renewable energy sources with a wide range of applications across various sectors.
This report presents an overview of the policies, programs, and practices undertaken in APEC economies and beyond to ensure that the liquid biofuels they produce and consume achieve desired sustainability . It concludes with recommendations to collaborate on systainable biofuels activities and promote all areas of sustainability. The report presents …
This report aims to provide a technological, economic and policy underpinning for the development of a global technology roadmap for CCS in industry. The roadmap will build on the IEA roadmap on CCS that has already outlined a set of actions and milestones for CCS in the power sector and …
Climate change can be mitigated in several ways, but most strategies emphasize reducing greenhouse gas emissions by reducing energy use and switching to energy sources that are less carbon intensive than fossil fuels. This publication explores the scope, potential and implications for using woodfuels to replace fossil fuels and thereby …
When it comes to deforestation, the task of reconciling climate and development goals poses a daunting challenge. Forest clearing is both the source of significant greenhouse gas emissions that fuel climate change and, for some farmers, the most practical means for expanding agricultural production to meet rising food demands.
A new chemical process may help unlock biofuels from trees and plant waste in a shift from using food crops such as sugar cane to generate fuel, scientists said Thursday. They said they found an enzyme that helped break down chitin, a stiff material similar to woody cellulose that is …
Energy efficiency is emerging as a critical piece in the entire clean technology ecosystem. With the government offering support, the sector has become prime entry point for new businesses Paramita Chatterjee EARLY this week, when renewable energy company Auro Mira Energy raised $21 million from a clutch of private equity …
This new report by ETC group is a critique of what OECD countries are calling 'the new bioeconomy'. Analyzes impact of next generation biofuels, burning of biomass for electricity and also sets the new REDD+ provisions in this context. As global attention switches from the new Nagoya Protocol of the …
Fungal degradation of plant biomass may provide insights for improving cellulosic biofuel production. We show that the model cellulolytic fungus Neurospora crassa relies on a high-affinity cellodextrin transport system for rapid growth on cellulose. Reconstitution of the N. crassa cellodextrin transport system in Saccharomyces cerevisiae promotes efficient growth of this …
