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Articles on Biofuels

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The New Zealand government is introducing legislation to become zero-carbon by 2050, but will consider new permits for coal mining, offshore oil drilling and fracking on a case-by-case basis. from shutter stock.com

Why New Zealand should not explore for more natural gas reserves

Natural gas is touted as a “bridging fuel” to displace coal while moving to a low-carbon economy. In New Zealand, this is shortsighted and could lead to stranded assets and hold back renewables.
Even pocket parks in cities (Duane Park in Lower Manhattan, pictured here) can shelter wildlife. Read below for ideas about urban biodiversity and other green innovations. Aude

Creating a sustainable future: 5 essential reads

Trump administration rollbacks dominated news about the environment in 2017 – but beyond Washington D.C., many researchers are developing innovative visions for a greener future.
The potential clean energy sources are all around Sydney, just waiting to be harnessed. Collage by Rocco Furfaro

Sydney’s closer to being a zero-carbon city than you think

Sun, wind, waste biomass, geothermal, tides and waves: all these energy sources in Sydney’s backyard add up to a zero-carbon energy solution for the city.
A medium-size passenger jet burns roughly 750 gallons of fuel per hour. www.shutterstock.com

Jet fuel from sugarcane? It’s not a flight of fancy

Scientists have engineered sugarcane to increase its oil content and are developing renewable jet aircraft fuel from the oil. The engineered sugarcane could become a valuable energy crop.
Polysaccharide molecules such as cellulose, seen here, are long chains of sugars that are very hard to break apart. Enzymes – proteins that can degrade polysaccharides – have many industrial uses. CeresVesta/Wikipedia

Scientist at work: Bio-prospecting for better enzymes

Bio-prospecting is the search for useful materials from natural sources. A biologist explains what we can learn from bacteria about breaking down plant material, and how we can use that knowledge.
Soybeans and corn are two of the most widely planted crops in the United States and the main feedstocks used to make biofuels. www.shutterstock.com

Biofuels turn out to be a climate mistake – here’s why

A new study challenges the longstanding view that biofuels are carbon-neutral, and asserts that in the U.S. to date, they have done more harm to the climate than gasoline.
Ethanol made from corn goes into our gas tanks. Now refiners who pay for the subsidy are complaining of rising costs. armydre2008/flickr

Who should pay for our corn ethanol policy – Big Oil or gas stations?

A fight’s breaking out over who should pay subsidies for corn ethanol, and it is consumers who may end up paying for any changes.
A White House proposal to tax crude oil would address the U.S.’s perennially underfunded highway maintenance program. scottummy/flickr

How should America fund its highways in the 21st century?

Obama’s proposal to add $10 tax to crude oil raises the thorny question of whether the U.S. can continue to fund its highway infrastructure with a fuel tax that hasn’t changed since 1993.
Before there was E10, in the 1970s there was ‘gasohol,’ another name for gasoline that had been blended with ethanol. eklektikos/flickr

Corn ethanol: the rise and fall of a political force

Ted Cruz opposes subsidies for biofuels and still managed to win in ethanol-friendly Iowa. Is corn ethanol starting to lose its political clout?
An excavator clears land for a palm oil plantation in southern Sierra Leone for a Lichtenstein-based a company. Such projects are criticised by some as ‘land grabs’. Reuters/Simon Akam

How a project with good aims delivered bitter outcomes in Sierra Leone

International development banks are supposed to ensure adherence to human rights in the projects they fund. Instead, their practices provide fertile ground for human rights abuses.

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