Let's cut to the chase. If we are serious about climate change then we have to be serious about changing (drastically) the way the world generates and uses its energy. But even as the rich world talks glibly about 'decarbonisation' of its economy it has done precious little to reinvent its energy system and to wean itself from its fossil fuel addiction.

Corn-based ethanol is yesterday's news for venture capitalists who, these days, are betting on everything from wood chips and algae to turkey guts and trash as potential sources of next-generation biofuels.

Corn ethanol caught the imagination of US policymakers as a way to fix multiple problems: rising oil prices, dependence on foreign oil and fossil fuel pollution.

Attempts to tackle global warming are being made more difficult by the spreading economic crisis even as Democratic congressional leaders say it

The first chapter depicts the status of and the global trends in the biofuels industry and markets. It traces the history of the production programme of biofuels and the efforts to promote them in Japan, Canada, the European Union, the United States, Brazil, Latin America, South-East Asia, India, China and some African countries.

When the economy falters, environmental issues tend to take a back seat. But looking beyond the current downturn, businesses are braced for an acceleration of the move to a carbon-constrained world.

NEW DELHI: India's raucous democracy, endemic poverty and soaring economic ambition make curbs on greenhouse gas emissions a hard sell, even as global pressure mounts on the government to do more on climate change.

All businesses should appoint an environmental expert to their board to help safeguard the planet, the president of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) said on Sunday.

The US economy could generate 4.2 million new "green" jobs in the next 30 years, about 10 percent of all the jobs created, according to a study for the US Conference of Mayors released on Thursday.

The study found the United States now has about 750,000 green jobs, which generally involve producing renewable energy or providing engineering, legal or research support.