Crop Biotech Net
Friday, 28th April, 2006Worldwide Shift to Biofuels Imminent, FAO Says
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) observes that momentum is gathering for a major international switch from fossil fuels to renewal bioenergy. This, the FAO predicts, is due to increased global warming, and a growing perception by governments of the risks of dependence on oil.“ Over the next 15 to 20 years we may see biofuels providing a full 25 percent of the world’s energy needs,” Alexander Müller, the new Assistant Director-General for the Sustainable Development Department of FAO, says. The FAO recently set up an International Bioenergy Platform (IBEP), which will provide expertise on biofuels and bioenergy. IBEP will be officially presented to the UN on May 9, 2006.
Brazil is currently the world’s top bioethanol producer, and a million Brazilian cars run on fuel made from sugar cane. Bioethanol is currently half the price of a barrel of oil, and can be produced from soy, oil-palm, sugar-beet, and rapeseed. Europe, on the other hand, is the world’s top biodiesel producer. Biodiesel can be made from rapeseed, soy, or sunflower seeds. Various companies, and countries such as Germany and the Ukraine, are considering a big move into biodiesel from these crops and other sources.
For more information, contact Christopher Matthews, Information Officer of the FAO, at christopher.matthews@fao.org. Read the complete news article at http://www.fao.org/newsroom/en/news/2006/1000282/index.html.
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