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POPS0.3% of Saharan Sun Enough To Power Europe The visionary proposal comes as the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission released its strategic energy technology plan which highlighted photovoltaic cells as one of the eight technologies that need to be developed in the future. The plan also includes fuel cells, hydrogen, clean coal, second generation biofuels, nuclear fusion, wind and smart grids.
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POPSHow the rich starved the world The threat posed by biofuels affects all of us. Global grain stockpiles - on which all of humanity depends - are now perilously depleted. Cereal stocks are at their
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POPSHarnessing Microbes To Meet Our Future Energy Needs "Microorganisms can provide just the services our society needs to move from fossil fuels to renewable biofuels," said Rittmann. "Only the microorganisms can pass all the tests, and we should take full advantage of the opportunities that microorganisms present."
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POPSGrains Gone Wild With food prices rising quickly and a grain crisis looming, the end of cheap food may indeed be here. From a personal point of view, I know several people near the poverty line who are really feeling the pinch now between oil prices (gas, heating oil, etc) and rising food prices.
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POPSUndoing America's Ethanol Mistake
Expanding biofuels while refusing to take other measures, such as lifting the ban on oil and natural gas production in Alaska and the Outer Continental Shelf, is counterproductive. We should be tapping into a broad portfolio of energy options, including clean coal, nuclear power and wave energy. By taking these measures, we can enable biofuels to be part of the energy solution, instead of contributing to the energy problem. Restraining the dangerous effects of artificially inflated demand for ethanol should be an issue that unites both conservatives and progressives. As a recent Time cover story pointed out, biofuel mandates increase greenhouse gasses and create incentives for global deforestation. In the Amazon basin, huge swaths of forest are being cleared to meet the growing hunger for biofuels. In addition, relief organizations are facing gaping shortfalls as the cost of food outpaces their ability to provide aid for the 800 million people who lack food security.
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POPS"Number Of People Facing Hunger Is Growing" PM Brown Elizabeth Stuart, a spokesman for the Oxfam anti-poverty group, hailed Mr. Zoellick's call to action and said the switch to biofuels in the U.S. and Europe has been a major cause of raising food prices. Rice prices have surged 75 percent over the past two months while wheat prices have more than doubled in the past year, Mr. Zoellick said. In Bangladesh, a 2-kilogram bag of rice costs about half of the daily income of a poor family. The high prices are not only increasing hunger and fueling food riots and social unrest in 33 countries, he said, they are stunting the physical and intellectual development of children. European Union Development Commissioner Louis Michel warned that Africa faces a new disaster if prices continue to rise. "A world food crisis is emerging, less visible than the oil crisis, but with the potential effect of real economic and humanitarian tsunami in Africa," he said.
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POPSThe end of oil - a vision, not a crisis Highly recommended reading for anyone interested in the future of energy resources and economy. Another proof that mankind's greatest resource is thinking, innovation and planning.
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POPSGrasslands as Alternative Energy Alternative energy can be made from grasslands with yields up to 238% higher than using farmed biofuels (e.g. corn). Grasslands are "carbon negative" meaning that, considering the full cycle of growth and burning, they remove carbon dioxide form the atmosphere. Lastly grasslands can be grown on marginal and degraded lands and thus do not need to displace food production.
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POPSControversial genetic engineering aim for new energy source Environmentalists say such work can be risky, because lignin provides trees with structural stiffness and resistance to pests. Even some scientists working on altering wood composition acknowledge that reducing lignin too much could lead to wobbly, vulnerable trees.
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POPSGore Ducks Questions About Food Crisis, Ethanol And Climate Alarmism Isn't that dandy? The person that cast the deciding vote in 1994 beginning ethanol mandates, who has been traveling the world advocating biofuels, and even admitted in March 2008 to having investments in biofuel companies, wasn't available to discuss the food crisis and its relationship to ethanol. Maybe this is why Gore isn't allowing press members into his speeches. Regardless, the pressure is mounting, and as more media outlets begin seeking his opinion concerning this matter, it seems a metaphysical certitude he won't be able to hide forever. Stay tuned.
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POPSEthanol Diplomacy may Change the Course of History These meetings will hopefully lead to further strengthen alliances in the Americas, reduce the western hemispheres dependency on fossil fuels from the middle east, and have a positive impact on the environment. It sounds like a WIN, WIN, WIN!!!
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POPSNewsweek Interview: Craig Venter's CO2-Eating Miracle Bacterium "Venter hopes his bugs will supplant the need for carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technologies by making CO2 a commodity, instead of a byproduct to be disposed of. According to Venter, large, bacteria-processing fermenters, similar to those used to make beer and wine, would replace traditional refineries. He expects the first generation of his engineered bacteria to be commercially available within the next year or two years. He made it a point to stress that he and his colleagues were thinking "in terms of years, not decades."
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POPSPoets Will Celebrate Al Gore 1,000 Years From Now Gore spotlights a number of these companies, including Smart Car, Amyris Biotechnologies, Altra Biofuels, Mascoma (cellulosic ethanol), Great Point Energy (biomass-to-gas and carbon capture technology), Altarock Energy (geothermal energy), Bloomenergy (fuel cells), Missole (solar technology) and Ausra (solar technology). Flashing their corporate logos on the screen, Gore states, “Here are just a few of the investments that I personally think make sense. I have a stake in these….” Putting aside the questionable legality of Gore’s promotion of his investments -- conduct that could very well be contrary to federal and state securities laws that forbid an unlicensed individual from promoting unregistered securities to the public -- it seems that it’s important to change the laws so that Gore can expand the $100 million-plus fortune he’s already accumulated since leaving public service in 2001.
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