Europe Backtracks on Biofuels

Crop damage by bad weather already hurting food production

(NEWSER) - The Green Revolution that saw farm production soar after the 1940s has come to an end, and with population pressures now surging ahead of food production and increasing damage caused by global warming, humanity is in danger of major new food shortages, reports the New York Times in a lengthy report. Scientists originally thought that global warming would not endanger the world's food supply until around 2080, but new data suggest it is already hurting crops, as weather patterns have wreaked havoc for several years now. “There’s just such a tremendous disconnect, with people not understanding the highly dangerous situation we are in,” said one researcher in Mexico. More»

President pushes climate change legislation

(NEWSER) - President Obama urged MIT to get cracking on green energy research today, saying America’s future depends on it. “The nation that wins this competition will be the nation that leads the global economy,” he said. “I want America to be that nation. It’s that simple.” He used the opportunity to push climate change legislation, the Boston Globe reports, promising that it would make the country more efficient. More»

Kyoto Protocols actually encourage harming the environment

(NEWSER) - Biofuel laws around the world actually encourage harming the environment, prominent scientists argue in the latest issue of Science. Under the Kyoto Treaty, in laws throughout Europe, and in the bill that passed the US House, biofuels count as carbon-neutral, on the theory that the plants the fuel is made from originally took carbon out of the air. It’s nonsense, scientists say, and ignores the land cleared to grow crops. More»

Country could be world's leader in clean energy by 2020

(NEWSER) - China is on course to obtain 20% of its energy from wind and solar sources by 2020—a transformation that would make the country the world leader in renewables. Beijing is ramping up its targets for clean energy, helped by the $590 billion stimulus package passed last year, a senior government official told the Guardian. "Due to the impact of global financial crisis, people are all talking about green and sustainable development," he said. More»

(NEWSER) - By issuing its long-awaited “endangerment finding” on carbon yesterday, the EPA is essentially putting a gun to Congress’ head, writes Bryan Walsh in Time. Capitol Hill is loathe to regulate carbon emissions, with Republicans and coal-state Democrats worried about the economic fallout. But by ruling that carbon is dangerous, the EPA has issued an ultimatum: If you don’t regulate, we will. More»