Energy

Biofuels Boom Raises Tough Questions
America is drunk on ethanol. Farmers in the Midwest are sending billions of bushels of corn to refineries that turn it into billions of gallons of fuel. Automakers in Detroit have already built millions of cars, trucks and SUVs that can run on it, and are committed to making millions more. >> Read the Full Article
EU Drafts Plan to Battle Global Warming, Sets Binding Targets for Switch to Green Energy
European Union leaders drafted an agreement Friday promising to take the lead in fighting global warming by setting binding targets to cut greenhouse gases and ensure a fifth of the bloc's energy comes from green power sources, such as wind turbines and solar panels. >> Read the Full Article
House Approves Clean-Water Bill over White House Objections
The House on Wednesday overwhelmingly endorsed federal help for communities faced with deteriorating sewage systems, ignoring White House warnings that the cost was too high. The legislation, approved 367-58, would spend $1.7 billion over five years in federal grants to states and municipalities. >> Read the Full Article
Lawmakers Tout Great Lakes Cleanup Plan
A massive cleanup plan to restore the Great Lakes for future generations needs to be a priority in Congress this year, lawmakers and environmental activists said Wednesday. Members of Congress representing Great Lakes states outlined a $20 billion plan to improve water quality. >> Read the Full Article
Nobel Winner Seeks Government Deeds to Match Words
A global campaign to plant a billion trees has highlighted a big gap between government aid pledges and action, African Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai said on Wednesday. >> Read the Full Article
As Biofuels Boom, Will More Go Hungry?
Using plants to feed our fuel needs may be a great idea, and the biofuel goldrush could be a moneyspinner for several poor countries, but some experts warn people may go hungry as food prices rise. >> Read the Full Article
Auto Companies Look for Faster Way to Turn Green Thinking into More Sales, Better Clout
The global auto industry is experiencing a green revolution, convinced that lower emissions and hybrid engines could turn eco-minded drivers into a long-term customers. >> Read the Full Article
China Building Blitz Holds Key to Energy Saving
Forget how much coal it burns. Forget its double-digit economic growth. Forget subsidised prices and the fact that a new car hits China's roads every six seconds. The biggest obstacle in China's path to curbing its wasteful energy ways may be the roofs over its citizens' heads. >> Read the Full Article
Brazil Biofuel Program Has Environmental Risks, Opportunities
A proposed ethanol alliance that President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is expected to forge with President Bush later this week poses both opportunities and risks for the environment, a top U.N. environmental official said Monday. >> Read the Full Article
Ethanol May Not Ease Global Warming, UN Says
It's too soon to say whether ethanol will help slow global warming, the head of the United Nations Environment Program said Monday, ahead of a meeting by the world's two biggest ethanol producers to discuss building a world market in the biofuel. >> Read the Full Article