biofuels

The Mayor of San Francisco is in talks with Project Better Place to get and influx of electric cars and recharging stations to help his city cut their carbon footprint. Hopefully this will catch on across the country!

Conservationists in Kenya are opposing a multi-million dollar biofuels project citing threats to bird life abundant in a riverine delta area. The 50,000 acre sugar cane project was meant to provide raw cane for a giant sugar milling company too but it is believed its vision was more for biofuel than food.

Not all biofuels are created equal, as the chart above illustrates (click the image to see full size). It’s one of the best depictions I’ve seen of how each biofuel feedstock has completely different impacts on overall greenhouse gas emissions, water and pesticide use, and the energy required to produce the fuel.

Senator Grassley rebuts the argument that ethanol and corn farmers are to blame for rising food prices. He says increased oil prices play a role.

General Motors announced today it would be entering into a strategic relationship with Mascoma Corp., a second-generation biofuel company with the technology to produce cellulosic ethanol from non-food sources via a single-step biochemical conversion. This is GM’s second investment in a cellulosic ethanol company, after announcing partnership with Coskata back in January.

Cool list generated by the EPA yesterday.

Not to long ago we thought that biofuels would be a good way to reduce global warming by cutting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In reality, biofuels could actually increase GHG emissions if we consider their effects over their entire life cycle. In a study by the University of Edinburgh, their impact has even been quantified: biofuels could increase GHGs by 50 to 70%.

Texas Governors sides with Big Oil and Big Food to crush competition to gasoline

'Opening a UN forum on the global impact of climate change on indigenous peoples, [Evo] Morales said that capitalism should be scrapped if the planet is to be saved from the effects of climate change. "If we want to save our planet earth, we have a duty to put an end to the capitalist system," he said. Bolivia's president said unbridled industrial development was responsible for the pillaging of natural resources.'

Oil prices and food prices are going to rise. The only choice we have is between two separate evils, not evil or no evil

Beautiful graphic from the Department of Energy that depicts conversion of biomass into cellulose.

Currently, the average price for a gallon of E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) is $2.67. That’s amazing if you think about it, since a gallon of ethanol requires about 16 lbs. of corn to produce.

Richard Lobb, Coalition for Balanced Food and Fuel Policy, is interviewed about a study that finds federal ethanol subsidies are contributing to rising food prices.

As of today, petrol station fuel in the UK will contain a minimum of 2.5% biofuel, as new government targets come into force.

Despite intense debate surrounding the growing global food crises, the European Union today defended expanding the use of biofuels in all 27 member countries. Part of the EU’s climate change package, the current proposal sets a target of meeting 10% of transportation fuel with biofuels by 2020.