http://www.climateark.org/ Biofuel, agrofuel and industrial agriculture newsfeed from Climate Ark -- http://www.climateark.org/ Climate Ark a project of Ecological Internet, Inc. info@ecologicalinternet.org (Dr. Glen Barry) http://www.climateark.org/img/ark.jpg http://www.climateark.org/ Mongabay: Business-as-usual agricultural expansion to meet biofuel production targets for 2020 will take a heavy toll on Brazil's Amazon rainforest in coming years, undermining the potential emissions savings of transitioning from fossil fuels to biofuels, warns a new paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS). The research suggests that intensification of cattle ranching, combined with efforts to promote high-yielding oil crops like oil palm could lessen forecast ... http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0208-amazon_biofuels.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150980 08 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST Amazon biofuel policy | South/Central America/Caribbean | Brazil info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Rhett Butler) Bloomington Alternative: They're clean! They're green! Or so the industry PR boasts about biomass power plants. If anything, the opposite is true. Biomass is any substance that isn't a fossil fuel and is arguably organic. Wood waste is one of the primary fuels that biomass incinerators burn. Wood waste includes industrial wood waste (like shipping pallets and sawdust), which is often contaminated with toxic chemicals and plastics that form dioxin, the most potent carcinogen ever studied, when ... http://www.bloomingtonalternative.com/articles/2010/02/07/10302 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150837 06 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biomass energy bad | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Bloomington Alternative: Linda Greene) Economist: RISING oil prices and mounting concern about global warming may have stoked demand for biofuels, but oilmen and farmers still have relatively little to do with one another. The biggest producers of ethanol are agribusinesses or farmers' co-operatives growing maize (corn) in America and sugarcane in Brazil. Big Western oil firms such as Exxon Mobil and Royal Dutch Shell have confined themselves to trading biofuels and blending them into their wares, while dabbling in research into a "second ... http://www.economist.com/businessfinance/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15464489 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150783 06 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST oil biofuel industry Shell | South/Central America/Caribbean | Brazil info@ecologicalinternet.org (Economist: none given) Environment Report: Bio-diesel is supposed to make big-rigs and trucks run cleaner. But to make enough biodiesel on the cheap, we'll need to get more oil out of soybeans. Shawn Allee says we could be one step closer to fixing that: http://www.environmentreport.org/story.php?story_id=4862 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150751 05 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biodiesel technology | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Environment Report: none given) Washington Post: The nation's farmers got a big boost Wednesday when the Obama administration issued new biofuels guidelines that could open the way for large increases in the production of corn-based ethanol. The Environmental Protection Agency said new data showed that, even after taking into account increased fertilizer and land use, corn-based ethanol can yield significant climate benefits by displacing conventional gasoline or diesel fuel. The new renewable-fuel standard issued by the EPA ... http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/03/AR2010020303804.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150622 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST corn ethanol government subsidies | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Washington Post: Steven Mufson) Wall Street Journal: The Environmental Protection Agency said Wednesday that it expects the biofuels industry to produce 6.5 million gallons of cellulosic ethanol this year, a fraction of the volume anticipated by Congress. The announcement suggests that government goals for turning inedible crops into transportation fuel have been unrealistic and too optimistic about the private sector's ability to advance existing technology and finance new refineries for biofuels. In 2007, Congress had mandated ... http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704259304575043422176790914.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150612 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel targets fall short | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Wall Street Journal: Russell Gold And Siobhan Hughes) LA Times: The Obama administration gave a boost to the corn and coal industries Wednesday, announcing a series of moves to accelerate biofuel use and deploy so-called clean-coal technology on power plants. Unveiling the actions in a meeting with energy-state governors at the White House, President Obama said the steps would create jobs in rural areas, reduce foreign energy dependence and curb the emissions that scientists blame for global warming. "It's important for us to understand ... http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-biofuels4-2010feb04,0,6179879.story http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150579 04 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel Obama | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (LA Times: Jim Tankersley) Reuters: President Barack Obama on Wednesday will outline a government strategy to boost development of U.S. biofuels and address their environmental challenges, an administration official said. The strategy will be laid out in a report titled "Growing America's Fuel" by the Biofuels Interagency Working Group, a body the president established to help spur investment in biofuels and make the industry more environmentally friendly. Obama and members of his cabinet are scheduled to meet on ... http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE61224920100203?feedType=RSS&feedName=environmentNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2Fenvironment+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Environment%29 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150471 03 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel strategy | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Jeff Mason) Associated Press: A presidential task force recommended spending more money to make biofuels like ethanol, saying the nation is likely to fall short of mandates for more environmentally friendly energy. An energy task force was ready to present President Barack Obama with a report outlining how the United States' production of fuel from plants or animals was unlikely to meet the goal Congress has demanded. The current production of 12 billion gallons annually is hardly the 36 billion lawmakers mandated ... http://www.boston.com/news/nation/washington/articles/2010/02/03/obama_pushing_clean_coal_and_green_jobs/?rss_id=Boston.com+--+Latest+news http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150518 03 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel goals | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: Philip Elliott) New York Times: President Obama moved on Wednesday to bolster the nation`s production of corn-based ethanol and other alternative liquid fuels and ordered the rapid development of technology to capture carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of coal. The president is trying to expand the portfolio of American energy sources to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases, a factor in global warming, and spur advances in alternative technologies. Last week he expressed support in his State of the Union ... http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/04/business/energy-environment/04biofuel.html?partner=rss&emc=rss http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150566 03 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel alternative fuels | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (New York Times: John M. Broder) Agence France-Presse: US President Barack Obama on Wednesday unveiled a new strategy to reinvigorate US production of biofuels, vowing he would not let nations like China race ahead in building new energy economies. Obama is embracing a host of traditional sources of power, including coal and nuclear and new energy sources, like wind power, as he attempts to improve dim prospects for cap-and-trade climate legislation in Congress. He said his government's Environmental Protection Agency had mandated ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100203/sc_afp/usenergyenvironmentobamachina http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150542 03 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST carbon biofuel Obama | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) Guardian: Royal Dutch Shell, Europe's second biggest energy company, is poised to become the biggest oil major in biofuels as it battles to reassure investors about profitability. The Anglo-Dutch company has signed a memorandum of understanding with the most powerful Brazil bioethanol producer, Cosan, in a joint venture said to be worth $12bn (£8.19bn). The move, if finalised, will cement Brazil's position as the world's alternative energy superpower with the potential to ship huge ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/feb/01/shell-cosan-brazil-biofuel-deal http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150310 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel oil industry merger | South/Central America/Caribbean | Brazil info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Nick Mathiason) Reuters: Brazilian sugar and biofuel giant Cosan plans to merge its ethanol and fuel distribution units with Royal Dutch Shell in a deal worth up to $12 billion, extending a trend of growing foreign investment in the fast-growing industry. The deal, announced on Monday, significantly expands Shell's ethanol operations in Brazil and follows moves by British oil major BP, which in 2008 took a stake in a Brazilian biofuel project and unveiled $1 billion in investments. Shares of Cosan ... http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6101TW20100201?feedType=RSS&feedName=businessNews&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+reuters%2FbusinessNews+%28News+%2F+US+%2F+Business+News%29 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150270 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST ethanol oil industry | South/Central America/Caribbean | Brazil info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: none given) Reuters: Royal Dutch Shell PLC RDS.A-N plans to make the biggest-ever foray into biofuels by an oil major, striking a deal with Brazil's Cosan SA Industria e Comercio to form a $12-billion (U.S.) ethanol joint venture that will be the No. 3 fuel distributor in Latin America's largest country. The deal, announced on Monday, marks Shell's entry into ethanol production and follows moves by British oil company BP PLC BP-N , which in 2008 took a stake in a big Brazilian biofuel project and unveiled ... http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/industry-news/energy-and-resources/shell-signs-giant-ethanol-deal-in-brazil/article1452329/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+TheGlobeAndMail-Front+%28The+Globe+and+Mail+-+Latest+News%29 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150326 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST ethanol deal oil industry | South/Central America/Caribbean | Brazil info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Elzio Barreto and Inae Riveras) Business Green: It's not easy being green. And it's not always easy to take a stand on something you believe in, particularly if you've got elections to consider, and especially if it's a controversial subject like biofuel. Thanks to the concerted efforts of green groups such as Friends of the Earth, biofuel has become a byword for deforestation, carbon emissions, displaced orangutans and an impending world food crisis. Subsequently, world leaders have crumbled under pressure and cut back support for ... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/comment/2257052/stop-vilifiying-biofuels http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150219 01 Feb 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuels defense | Europe | Ukraine info@ecologicalinternet.org (Business Green: Antony Blakey) Mongabay: Britain will contribute £50 million ($80m) towards efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Indonesia, including a project that aims to encourage palm oil producers to establish plantations on degraded lands instead of in place of rainforests and carbon-dense peatlands, reports BBC News. The contribution comes under the government's £1.5 billion ($2.4 billion) commitment to $10-billion-per-year aid package pledged by industrialized countries during last month's climate talks in ... http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0131-palm_oil.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150215 31 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST oil plam green | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Rhett Butler) Oregonian: PGE is trying to decide whether to close its coal-fired power plant near Boardman, in Eastern Oregon, or convert it to burn biomass, which could be less of a problem environmentally.Portland General Electric has three options for its Boardman power plant: close it, stop burning coal there, or make costly upgrades to clean up emissions. Most of the debate about Boardman, Oregon's only coal-fired power plant and the state's largest single source of air pollution, has focused not on ... http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2010/01/coal-burning_power_plant_in_bo.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150286 31 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biomass coal plant retrofit | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Oregonian: Matthew Preusch) Reuters: Germany's biodiesel industry expects to operate at around 50 percent of capacity in 2010 as taxes are making the green fuel too expensive for motorists, a biofuels industry leader said on Friday. Germany's 4.8 million tonne annual capacity biodiesel industry, Europe's largest, is estimated to have produced about 2.5 million tonnes in 2009, down from 2.7 million tonnes in 2008, said Elmar Baumann, chief executive of German biofuels industry association VBO. "We expect the same ... http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60S42C20100129 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150128 30 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biodiesel plant price | Europe | Germany info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Michael Hogan) ScienceDaily: A unique £1.1 million research project is investigating how coppiced trees and grass crops can be used both to generate renewable energy and to trap carbon in the soil over the long term. Led by Professor Gail Taylor, an expert on plants and the environment at the University of Southampton, a team of scientists across the UK will track the path of carbon, captured by plants and grasses through the process of photosynthesis, as it flows through the plant to the soil, which is inhabited ... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100127110421.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150021 29 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST climate carbon energy trees grasses | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (ScienceDaily: none given) Times (UK): Using biofuel in vehicles may be accelerating the destruction of rainforest and resulting in higher greenhouse gas emissions than burning pure petrol and diesel, a watchdog said yesterday. The Renewable Fuels Agency also warned that pump prices could rise in April because of the Government's policy of requiring fuel companies to add biofuel to petrol and diesel. More than 1.3 million hectares of land -- twice the area of Devon -- was used to grow the 2.7 per cent of Britain's ... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/environment/article7007238.ece#cid=OTC-RSS&attr=3392178 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=150029 28 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST rainforest biofuel cars | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Times (UK): Ben Webster) Bernama: India condemned attempts to divert food grains for bio-fuels, describing the trend as dangerous for the world's food security, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported, citing Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma as saying here. Speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting here on Wednesday, Sharma said that diversion of food grains for bio-fuels cannot subvert the need for food security. Addressing a session on energy security, Sharma said cost of food in India has been ... http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v5/newsindex.php?id=471731 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149975 28 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST food security grain biofuel diversion | South Asia | India info@ecologicalinternet.org (Bernama: none given) Business Green: Only a fifth of feedstocks used to produce biofuels for the UK market last year met the government's Environmental Qualifying Standard, falling well short of a target to ensure 30 per cent of biofuels meet sustainability criteria. That is the conclusion of the latest report from the independent Renewable Fuels Agency (RFA), which found that while progress is being made to ensure biofuels are sourced in a sustainable manner, the vast majority of feedstocks are still bought from ... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2256953/uk-biofuels-adoption-target http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149968 28 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel sustainability | Europe | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Business Green: Tom Young) Guardian: BP was criticised by the Renewable Fuels Agency in its annual report today for not giving enough information on the sustainability of the bio­fuels it is selling on the forecourt. BP said it had met at least one of the three targets set by the monitoring organisation. But the RFA complained that its data was "not properly assured" for this to be confirmed. BP, which was unavailable for comment, did better than Chevron, Murco and Topaz who allegedly missed all the environmental ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/28/bp-biofuels-data-criticised http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149995 28 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel bad data | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Terry Macalister) Agence France-Presse: Gene scientists have coaxed bacteria into eating agricultural waste and secreting diesel, offering a potentially cheaper, greener energy source than present-day biofuels, a study released Wednesday said. Soaring demand for the current mainstay source for biodiesels -- corn, sugar and other starchy crops -- has caused the prices of some staple foods to soar as farmland is turned over to fuel crops, and worsened deforestation. Some researchers also doubt whether there is a ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100127/sc_afp/scienceenergyclimatewarmingbiotechnology http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149904 27 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biodiesel genetically modified bugs | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) ScienceDaily: Scientists have found a way to increase fermentable sugar stores in plants which could lead to plant biomass being easier to convert into eco-friendly sustainable biofuels. Their research is highlighted in the latest issue of Business, the quarterly highlights magazine of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC). Energy is released in a usable form from biomass when biodegradable matter such as wood or straw is burnt or fermented. Fuel for use in cars ... http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/01/100125094641.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149845 27 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST sustainable biofuel biomass research | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (ScienceDaily: none given) Business Green: For years algae-based biofuels have been regarded as the Holy Grail for transport industries, a means of producing low carbon fuel on an industrial scale without impacting food supplies while also paving the way for a genuinely sustainable aviation industry. But now algae-based biofuels have finally found a detractor in the form of a team of researchers at the University of Virginia who this week published a new study suggesting biofuels made from algae could end up emitting more ... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2256812/algae-biofuels-development http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149814 27 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST algae biofuel environment concerns | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Business Green: Tom Young) Agence France-Presse: To its fans, jatropha is a miracle crop, an eco-friendly answer to India's growing energy needs, but some experts are starting to question whether the wonder-shrub is too good to be true. The seeds of the wild plant, which grows abundantly across India, produce non-edible oil that can be blended with diesel to make the biofuel that is part of government efforts to cut carbon emissions and combat climate change. That, combined with the shrub's much vaunted ability to flourish on ... http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/240486/jatropha-too-good-be-true http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149858 27 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel jatropha hype | South Asia | India info@ecologicalinternet.org (Agence France-Presse: none given) Dow Jones: The Czech Environment Ministry ceded on Tuesday to the demands of Micronesia and ordered to subject to an international audit the clearance process of the planned upgrade of a Czech coal-fired power plant, owned by Czech utility CEZ AS (BAACEZ.PR). "Having thoroughly studied all available documents on the (power plant modernization) intent I have concluded to put the plan under the international review," Czech Environment Minister Jiri Dusik said in a statement published on the ... http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/commodities/czechs-cede-micronesia-demands-seeking-power-plant-review/ http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149854 26 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST coal pollution globalized opposition | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Dow Jones: Leos Rousek) ScienceNews: Algae have great potential for renewable fuel, but alternative sources of nutrients and water would make the microorganisms even greener. A National Renewable Energy Laboratory researcher (pictured) tests ponds containing microalgae. Gretz, Warren Algae have emerged as a rising star among renewable fuels. But like any celebrity, the microorganisms still need the essentials to survive. The environmental footprint of providing algae with nutrients and water must be considered in judging ... http://www.sciencenews.org/view/generic/id/55665/title/Algae_as_biofuel_still_rough_around_the_edges http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149863 26 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel algae sustainability questions | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (ScienceNews: Rachel Ehrenberg) Reuters: Hungary expects three new ethanol plants to come on stream in 2011 which would greatly increase capacity and absorb over one million tonnes of maize per year from the market, an agriculture ministry official said. Hungary, a major grain producer in central Europe, harvested 7.5 million tonnes of maize in 2009 and with domestic demand of about 3 million tonnes, it has 5-6 million tonnes of surplus maize per year to export. At one stage there were dozens of new ethanol plants on ... http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60P3AT20100126 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149861 26 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST ethanol output surge | Europe | Hungary info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Gergely Szakacs) Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Getting energy from garbage reflects a new environmental truth: renewable power is more valuable because we've made it so. Seattle City Light's announcement Thursday of a 20-year arrangement to buy electricity produced in Oregon from landfill gas was the latest part of a rush to buy energy that comes from a replenishable source. City Light will pay just over 5 cents per kilowatt hour for the electricity from the Columbia Ridge Landfill power plant in Oregon, where the city's ... http://www.seattlepi.com/local/414576_energy25.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149688 25 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST renewable power expensive | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Larry Lange) Scientific American: Growing algae for use in biofuels has a greater environmental impact than sources such as corn, switch grass and canola, researchers found in the first life-cycle assessment of algae growth. Interest in algae-based biofuels has blossomed in the past year, sparking major investments from Exxon Mobil Corp. and Dow Chemical Co., and it has gained steam on Capitol Hill, as well. But the nascent industry has major environmental hurdles to overcome before ramping up production, according to ... http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=algae-biofuel-growth-environmental-impact http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149491 22 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel algae corn fertilizer | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Scientific American: Katie Howell) Business Green: A quarter of all the grain crops produced in the US last year ended up being used to make biofuel, according to a new study that will reignite the debate surrounding the wisdom of using food crops to fuel vehicles. Washington-based environmental think tank the Earth Policy Institute analysed 2009 figures from the US Department of Agriculture and found the 107m tons of grain that went to US ethanol distilleries last year represented over a quarter of all the grain produced in the ... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2256626/quarter-grain-ends-biofuel-pump http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149477 22 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel food corn | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Business Green: none given) Guardian: One-quarter of all the maize and other grain crops grown in the US now ends up as biofuel in cars rather than being used to feed people, according to new analysis which suggests that the biofuel revolution launched by former President George Bush in 2007 is impacting on world food supplies. The 2009 figures from the US Department of Agriculture shows ethanol production rising to record levels driven by farm subsidies and laws which require vehicles to use increasing amounts of ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/jan/22/quarter-us-grain-biofuels-food http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149475 22 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel food corn ethanol | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: John Vidal) Mongabay: A Malaysian court has ruled in favor of indigenous communities in a dispute over land rights just two days after authorities "arbitrarily" destroyed 25 Iban homes in the village of Sungai Sekabai in Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo), reports the Bruno Manser Fund, a rights group. The cases (Agi Ak Bungkong & Ors versus Ladang Sawit Bintulu S/B & Others and Mohd Rambli Kawi versus Lands & Surveys Kuching & Another) had been filed by Iban and Malay communities against the Sarawak state government and ... http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0121-iban_sarawak.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149382 21 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST Borneo land rights | East/South-East Asia | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Rhett Butler) Business Green: It might be the oldest form of harnessable energy known to man, but that has not stopped the humble lump of wood enjoying something of a renaissance in recent years as governments across Europe look for a cost-effective and reliable way to curb carbon emissions. Now the stellar growth enjoyed by the continent's emerging biomass power industry is set to accelerate further, according to a new study from German energy consultancy ecoprog and research institute Fraunhofer UMSICHT, which ... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2256548/fired-european-biomass-industry http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149362 21 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biomass energy rapid expansion | Europe | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Business Green: James Murray) European Voice: It is wrong and dangerous to assume that all biomass is carbon-neutral. Faced with a tough but desperately needed decision, the European Commission is ducking the issue: in December, its directorate-general for energy and transport recommended that environmental safeguards for the use of biomass should not be established. DG Tren's position – which might become EU policy in late January – is in direct contradiction with that of five member states (Belgium, the Netherlands, ... http://www.europeanvoice.com/article/imported/the-eu-needs-biomass-sustainability-criteria/66936.aspx http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149313 21 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biomass energy sustainability criteria | Europe | info@ecologicalinternet.org (European Voice: Eric Johnson) Mongabay: Malaysian authorities yesterday destroyed two dozen homes in an indigenous Iban community near the town of Bintulu in Sarawak, alleges a human rights group. The Bruno Manser Fund (BMF) reports the Malaysian police and soldiers "demolished about 25 houses with all the natives' belongings inside without prior notice being given to the community" in serving an eviction order that is currently under appeal. BMF notes that one of the victims is headman Nor anak Nyaway, a community ... http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0120-sarawak.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149231 20 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST rainforest indigenous state violence Sarawak | East/South-East Asia | Malaysia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Rhett Butler) Business Green: The world's first ethanol-fuelled power plant was opened in Brazil yesterday by Brazilian utility Petrobas. The 87MW Juiz de Fora plant has two turbines, one of which has been modified by GE to run on sugarcane-based ethanol, allowing the facility to switch instantly between running off natural gas and ethanol. Petrobas said that it will now undertake five months of trial operations to check the running of the ethanol turbines and ensure the plant's emissions are in line with ... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2256433/world-first-ethanol-power-plant http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149186 20 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biomass biofuel power plants | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Business Green: none given) Guardian: One tenth of Britain, including moorlands and hillsides, could be used to grow crops for biomass and biofuels. Countryside protection groups warned that this would turn large swaths of the countryside into monocultural landscapes and pose a threat to wildlife. The Energy Technologies Institute (ETI), a £1bn public-private investment body, said it was launching a project to map all the "under-utilised" land in Britain to find out how much could be turned over to growing bioenergy ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2010/jan/20/moorlands-and-biomass-crops http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149254 20 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel biomass land | Europe | United Kingdom info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Tim Webb) Reuters: Brazil on Tuesday opened the world's first ethanol-fueled power plant in an effort by the South American biofuels giant to increase the global use of ethanol and boost its clean power generation. State-run oil giant Petrobras and General Electric Co, which helped design the plant, are betting that increased use of ethanol generation by green-conscious countries will boost demand for the product. Brazil, the top global ethanol exporter, is already in talks with Japan to develop ... http://admin.ecoearth.info/dotadmin/welcome.aspx?review=true&linkId=149591http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE60I54720100119 http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149242 19 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST ethanol power plant | South/Central America/Caribbean | Brazil info@ecologicalinternet.org (Reuters: Juiz de Fora) Mongabay: An activist group linked General Mills to destruction of rainforests in Southeast Asia in dramatic fashion on Tuesday, when it unfurled a giant banner, reading "Warning: General Mills Destroys Rainforests", outside the company's Minneapolis headquarters building. The stunt was executed by the Rainforest Action Network (RAN), an activist group campaigning to highlight the role that palm oil consumption has in deforestation in Indonesia, Malaysia and Papua New Guinea. Expansion of oil ... http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0119-palm_oil.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149160 19 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST oil palm rainforest food | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Rhett Butler) Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: A state-funded, $250 million project at the University of Wisconsin-Madison aims to convert a coal-fired power plant on campus to one that primarily burns biomass such as tree trimmings and crops, ideally becoming a model for how the state can reduce its carbon output and its dependence on fossil fuels. But the massive venture - accounting for nearly one-fifth of the state's capital budget during the 2009-'11 budget period - faces considerable hurdles. Among them: * ... http://www.jsonline.com/business/82008452.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149138 19 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biomass utility energy | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Lee Bergquist and Thomas Content) Canwest News Service: Three years after announcing $2 billion in subsidies for the biofuels industry, Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has decided to probe whether the so-called renewable fuels might actually be harming the environment. In a notice posted this month, Environment Canada said it plans to award a contract for consultants to study whether production of the fuels, which can be derived from crops or waste products, do more damage to air and land than gasoline. "Liquid biofuels ... http://www.canada.com/technology/Federal%20government%20takes%20second%20look%20benefits%20biofuels/2460641/story.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149248 19 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel benefits | North America | Canada info@ecologicalinternet.org (Canwest News Service: Mike De Souza) Associated Press: The Chesapeake Bay Commission says a new report outlines the Chesapeake Bay watershed's biofuel potential. The report, scheduled to be released Wednesday by the commission and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, will detail the findings and recommendations of the Chesapeake Biofuels Advisory Panel. The report is the third and last in a series by the commission. The commission says the emerging biofuels industry has the potential to provide thousands of jobs over the ... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100119/ap_on_bi_ge/us_chesapeake_biofuels_maryland http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149163 19 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel biomass watershed | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Associated Press: none given) Jakarta Post: A study by the government has recommended a moratorium on peatland conversion if the country wants to meet its pledged emission cuts to tackle climate change. The study commissioned by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) also proposes a land-swap scheme to relocate existing licenses in the peatlands, but not in other degraded forests. "Land swaps coupled with a revision of spatial planning to conserve unlicensed peatlands could contribute up to 37 percent in ... http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2010/01/18/stop-converting-peatlands-govt-study-recommends.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=149839 18 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST rainforest peatland convert | East/South-East Asia | Indonesia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Jakarta Post: Adianto P. Simamora) Guardian: A British environmental campaigner who was arrested in India during a crackdown on terrorism for carrying a satellite phone without permission will tomorrow hear if he will be released after a week in custody. Andy Pag, 35, was driving in an old school bus fuelled by chip fat when he was arrested by Indian police following a tipoff from the army. Pag set off from London three-and-a-half months ago on a trip powered only by biofuel. He was arrested last week in Pushkar after ... http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jan/17/andy-pag-satellite-phone-arrest http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=148964 17 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel activism | Worldwide/General | info@ecologicalinternet.org (Guardian: Vikram Dodd) Mongabay: The Malaysian palm oil industry has been broadly accused of contributing to the dramatic decline in orangutan populations in Sabah, a state in northern Borneo, over the past 30 years. The industry has staunchly denied these charges and responded with marketing campaigns claiming the opposite: that oil palm plantations can support and nourish the great red apes. The issue came to a head last October at the Orangutan Colloquium held in Kota Kinabalu. There, confronted by orangutan biologists, ... http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0116-orangutans.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=148909 16 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST rainforest orangutans oil palm record | East/South-East Asia | Malaysia info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Rhett Butler) Mongabay: A company in Uganda is pressuring the environment ministry to allow it to log a protected forest reserve to establish a palm oil plantation, reports The New Vision. BIDCO, a Kenyan company, has been lobbying since 2006 to log the forest reserve on Bugala island in Lake Victoria, but has face stiff resistance due to environmental concerns, including deforestation, sedimentation, and biodiversity loss. This time, in a letter written by the agriculture minister, Hope Mwesigye, and ... http://news.mongabay.com/2010/0115-uganda.html http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=148877 15 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST rainforest oil palm reserve | Africa | Uganda info@ecologicalinternet.org (Mongabay: Rhett Butler) Business Green: Californian regulators this week approved tough new standards governing the carbon intensity of bioethanol that will force producers to account for the lifecycle emissions that result from the production of biofuels. The Californian Air Resources Board (CARB) said the new Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) will reduce the carbon intensity of transportation fuels used in California by an average of 10 per cent by the year 2020, by forcing bioethanol producers to measure the emissions that ... http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2256188/california-firms-biofuels http://www.climateark.org/shared/reader/welcome.aspx?linkid=148776 15 Jan 2010 11:00:00 PST biofuel standards toughen | North America | United States info@ecologicalinternet.org (Business Green: Tom Young)