February 19, 2008
· Filed under Biofuels, Climate change, Geothermal, Global warming, Green effect, Renewable Energy, Solar power, Wind power, Worldwide · Tagged Cambridge Energy Research Associates, clean energy, co2 emissions, green energy, nuclear, report
A report released by Cambridge Energy Research Associates, concludes that investments in green energies will be pushed, not only by the oil shock, but also because of a greater demand. What makes today different from the 1970’s is that people are worrying about global warming, thus they will be ready to pay a clean energy more expensive. “The report projects that rising private and public investment in clean energy could surpass $7 trillion by 2030″. In 2007, $125 billion was invested worldwide. This is 20 percent more than 2006. The investment will be focused on wind, geothermal and solar power, bio-fuels, nuclear energy and techniques to capture and store carbon emissions.
Such investments will be necessary to absorb the stronger energy demand in new industrialized countries. It is also interesting to note that nuclear power has become a clean energy as we focus now on reducing CO2 emissions. Twenty years ago, classifying this energy as clean would have created a revolution.
Source: International Herald Tribune, Wednesday, February 6, 2008.
February 1, 2008
· Filed under Biodiesel, Biofuels · Tagged co2 emissions, Ethanol, India, Mexico, palm oil, prices, riots, United Nations
Last week, we were wondering if ethanol could be a good solution for the environment, and to reduce CO2 emissions. Moreover, it is not a good solution for the food market. According to a United Nations report, sixty internationally foodstuff climbed 37% in 2007. Producers prefer selling their crops to ethanol refineries instead of food markets. Palm oil, soybean oil and other types of vegetable oil prices are increasing. Economists talk about the “oil shock from India to Indiana”. These oils are a good fat complement for poor people in Asia and Africa. Riots occurred in Mexico, Morocco, India (Mumbai), Guinea, Mauritania, Senegal, Uzbekistan and Yemen. In China, 3 people died, and 31 were injured, after a Carrefour supermarket announced a limited time promotion on cooking oil. Thus, the Chinese Government decided to control oil, meat, eggs, milk, and grain prices. Egypt banned rice exports and the European Union restricted palm oil imports.
Resources rarefaction added to the usual bad repartition between North and South will cause many problems. Ethanol is definitely not a good solution to reduce CO2 emissions. Nations would search and invest in alternative solutions, and overpass the powerful bio-fuel American lobby, especially when 9 billion people will live on Earth by 2050. The Third World instability will also affect our way of life.
Full story: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/01/19/business/worldbusiness/19palmoil.html?pagewanted=3&_r=2&ref=world
