A new Royal Society policy briefing explores the resource and infrastructure requirements, environmental impacts, and outstanding research questions for the … read more
Findings published in Nature Climate Change suggest large-scale cultivation of biofuels in Europe could lead to increased human mortality and crop losses. read more
The SMC hosted the Nuffield Council on Bioethics for this briefing to launch their report on the ethical and social issues raised by current and new types of biofuels, as well as the wide range of UK and European policies and targets that are encouraging their uptake. read more
In the aftermath of the Copenhagen climate change summit, the Nuffield Council on Bioethics has launched a public consultation on the potential of new types of biofuels, such as fuel produced by algae, to provide us with a greener and more ethical source of renewable energy. The SMC hosted this briefing in advance of the official launch to brief journalists on the consultation and the issues involved. read more
The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has announced the UK’s biggest ever public investment in sustainable biofuels with the launch of the BBSRC Sustainable Bionergy Centre. To mark this launch, the UK’s Science Minister joined scientists from the Bioenergy Centre to brief the media on the energy challenges we face, the potential of bioenergy and the research effort being funded by BBSRC. read more
Biofuels has become one of the most hotly debated issues of our time, with opponents arguing that the rise in the production of biofuels has diverted land away from growing crops for food, leading to recent rises in food prices. Bruce Dale, one of the world’s leading biofuels experts, argues that this is a red herring, and that other issues are more important, including low crop yields in the third world and the agricultural policies pursued by developed world countries. read more
On Tuesday 15th April the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) comes into play. It will state the amount of renewable fuel that has to be used for transport, putting biofuels back at the top of the news agenda. Some of the leading scientists in this field briefed journalists on the science behind biofuels and the wider issues, including their impacts on the environment. read more
Launching the National Non-Food Crops Centre (NNFCC) report on the feasibility of generating 2nd generation biofuels in the UK. read more
The environmental benefits of novel crops like biofuels have been widely reported, but there remains uncertainty over whether they are subject to the same levels of regultory testing as GM crops in the UK. The lead authors of a new report from ACRE (Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment) came to the SMC to brief journalists on the report’s recommendations. read more
The Energy Biosciences Institute will research the production of new, cleaner energy, initially focussing on transport biofuels, and will be based on campuses in Berkeley and Illinois. read more
A press briefing run jointly with the BBSRC to announce £13.3M of funding for 17 of new projects which will exploit genetics to improve the sustainability of agriculture and help to address various issues for farming, food processing, nutrition and biofuels. read more
In the context of rising emissions and depleting oil reserves, experts on biofuels discussed the possibilities for the future. read more