by Hannah Ritchie and Pablo Rosado (Our World in Data) Putting a price on carbon helps us account for the real costs of fossil fuels in the market. Which countries have a carbon tax or trading system? ... The purpose of setting
externalities
Back TO HOMESupreme Court Rejects Red States' Plea to Block Biden Climate Metric
by Alex Guillen (Politico) -The decision means the White House can move forward with its plans to overhaul and likely significantly increase the number known as the social cost of carbon. -The Supreme Court’s refusal to get involved in the
May 27, 2022 Read Full Article
Global Bioenergies Makes Breakthrough on the Road toward Biojet Fuel
(Global Bioenergies/Globe Newswire) Global Bioenergies has made major advances in its process for converting plant-based feedstocks into isobutene. The resulting improved performance will speed up penetration of the cosmetics market over the next few years and allows to target production costs that would make this process the world
October 21, 2021 Read Full Article
Biden Is Hiking the Cost of Carbon. It Will Change How the U.S. Tackles Global Warming.
by Juliet Eilperin and Brady Dennis (Washington Post) President Biden on Friday dramatically altered the way the U.S. government calculates the real-world cost of climate change, a move that could reshape a range of consequential decisions, from whether to allow new coal
February 26, 2021 Read Full Article
Social Distance, Meet Social Carbon
by Zack Coleman (Politico's Morning Energy) The White House is expected to sharply raise the government’s calculation of how much greenhouse gases will cost the U.S. in the future, a policy change that will make it easier for his administration
February 19, 2021 Read Full Article
Biofuel Production Could Help Revive SA Sugar Industry
by Siyanda Sishuba (Farmer's Weekly) Establishing partnerships between government, the private sector and foreign investors is an important step to launching biofuels projects through innovative financing models in South Africa. This was according to Samukelisiwe Maphumulo, a sustainability officer at the
February 17, 2021 Read Full Article
John Kerry's Climate Plan, in His Own Words: In an Interview with Amanda Little, He Promises a "Total Rethink" and Trillions in Global Investment as He Works to Speed the Shift from Fossil Fuels.
by Amanda Little (Bloomberg Opinion) As President Joe Biden's Special Presidential Envoy for Climate, John Kerry will play perhaps the most critical role internationally in managing a planetary crisis. ... AL: Yet progressive climate activists have said that “climate delay-al” is
January 29, 2021 Read Full Article
Top 10 Bioeconomy Must-Knows in the Biden Transition
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Who are the key bioeconomy players in the new Biden Administration? What recent moves by the outgoing Trump Administration and Congress will set their budget and regulatory framework for 2021. What will the new Administration
January 20, 2021 Read Full Article
Updating the Social Cost of Carbon
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) New analysis this morning recommends a two-step approach for the Biden administration to immediately update the social cost of carbon. First, the report calls for using a "discount rate" of no higher than 2
January 16, 2021 Read Full Article
SEC Commissioner Talks Climate
by Kelsey Tamborrino (Politico's Morning Energy) Securities and Exchange Commission member Allison Herren Lee said on Tuesday that "climate change presents a systemic risk to the financial market" and that "there's certainly evidence that climate risks are currently underpriced." Lee, who
September 30, 2020 Read Full Article
The Science behind Brazilian Biofuels Policy – RenovaBio
by Marcelo A. Boechat Morandi (Embrapa Meio Ambiente/LinkedIn) Insights on how Brazil is innovating and investing in the low carbon economy, especially in agriculture and energy. RenovaBio is a market driven incentive mechanism, based on the economic theory of “Coase Market”
June 25, 2020 Read Full Article
Reality EV: Let’s Not Overlook Biofuels
(Clean Fuels Development Coalition) The widespread introduction of electric vehicles (EVs) as a means of reducing carbon emissions presents a far greater challenge than the public is being led to believe, according to new research by the Clean Fuels Development Coalition
March 18, 2020 Read Full Article
Hawaii Bill Could Become Nation’s First Carbon Emissions Tax
(Associated Press) Hawaii could become the first state to enact a tax on carbon emissions, but the bill still requires passage by the House and the governor. A carbon tax proposed by Democratic state Sen. Karl Rhoads was recently passed by the
March 11, 2020 Read Full Article
Taxes on Polluting Fuels Are Too Low to Encourage a Shift to Low-Carbon Alternatives
(Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) Taxing polluting sources of energy is an effective way to curb emissions that harm the planet and human health, and the income generated can be used to ease the low-carbon transition for vulnerable households. Yet
September 23, 2019 Read Full Article
Fact Sheet: Fossil Fuel Subsidies: A Closer Look at Tax Breaks and Societal Costs
by Clayton Coleman and Emma Dietz (Environmental and Energy Study Institute) A recent analysis published in Nature Energy found that continuing current fossil fuel subsidies would make it profitable to extract half of all domestic oil reserves. This could increase U.S. oil production by
August 02, 2019 Read Full Article
Advanced Biofuels Canada New Study on Clean Fuel Standard Costs
(Advanced Biofuels Canada) Low carbon biofuels have ten-year track record in BC at costs below gasoline, resulting in affordable carbon reductions and much-needed competition in fuels -- Canada’s national low carbon fuels association issues a statement about the prospective costs of the
July 16, 2019 Read Full Article
Europe Faces Another Lost Decade in Decarbonising Transport
by Zoltán Szabó (Ethanol Europe/Climate Home News) An essential conversation is missing around sustainable biofuels as part of the decarbonisation solution -- ... Recent research carried out by Ecofys/Navigant has shown that electrification and European sourced biofuels are the only feasible technologies available
June 28, 2019 Read Full Article
What Will it Take?: The Digest’s 2018 Multi-Slide ABLC Guide to Policies for the Biofuture Take-off
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Promote short term deployment of mature options, stimulate the development and deployment of new technologies, deliver the necessary feedstock sustainably, backed by a supportive sustainability governance system, and develop capacity and catalyse investment via a coordinated international collaboration
December 06, 2018 Read Full Article
The 2018 Algae Biomass Summit: Tracing the Evolution of the Algae Industry and Its New Trajectories Forward
by Jenna Bloxom* (Advanced Biofuels USA) The kickoff of the 2018 Algae Biomass Summit in The Woodlands, TX, was awash with the same professional ambition, intellectual zeal, and indomitable sense of hope which likewise distinguished the opening ceremony of this
November 17, 2018 Read Full Article
Federal University of Goiás Holds an Event on the Impacts of Brazilian Biofuels Policy
by Bruno Roque and Jakeline de Oliveira * (University of Goiás/Advanced Biofuels USA) The New Brazilian Policy for biofuels called RenovaBio was one of the topics addressed at the 15th Congress of Research, Education and Extension (Conpeex) held on October
November 14, 2018 Read Full Article
How Renewable Energy Could Fuel Future Conflicts
by Madison Freeman and Morgan Bazilian (Georgetown Journal of International Affairs) Renewable energy technologies promise to help our world avert some of the worst impacts of climate change. However, some of the minerals and metals they require could contribute to conflict. In
October 12, 2018 Read Full Article
If Fossil Fuel Is Too Expensive, Go for Biodiesel to Fuel Cars
by Dan Odido (Daily Nation) Popularising the use of renewable energy has several benefits to the economy. It enhances energy independence; develops non-traditional industries, broadening the manufacturing base; and provides employment. The policy framework is, largely, in place and it
October 08, 2018 Read Full Article
Emissions, Energy, and Economic Implications of the Curbelo Carbon Tax Proposal
(Columbia University's Center on Global Energy Policy) In July 2018 Representative Carlos Curbelo proposed legislation that would put a price on US carbon dioxide emissions (“Curbelo proposal”). A carbon price is widely viewed as a necessary part of a cost-effective national
July 23, 2018 Read Full Article
Drills and Pipelines May Pollute Our Climate but Words Will Break or Make Us
by Michael Eggleston* (Advanced Biofuels USA) Carbon is the backbone of the fossil-based economy and feedstock to a bio-based economy. However, how exactly this carbon is handled continues to divide people regarding what the development of a bio-based economy is
May 03, 2018 Read Full Article
The New World Has Arrived: 16th International Conference Datagro Sugar and Ethanol Promotes the Innovations of the Sector
[caption id="attachment_78189" align="alignleft" width="300"] Panel of Experts discussing "Ethanol and Economic Development" at Datagrow 2016 conference[/caption] by Laís Forti Thomaz* (Advanced Biofuels USA) On October 17-18, 2016, Datagro held its 16th International Conference in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Once again, this event reunited
October 24, 2016 Read Full Article
With More People Hitting the Road, It’s Time for a Carbon Tax
(The Washington Post) ... Even with current conditions factored in, government experts project that fuel-efficiency standards will put much more downward pressure on gasoline use in coming years, helping to bring consumption well below historical highs over the coming decades, even
September 12, 2016 Read Full Article
China, US Set to Release Review of Each Other’s Fossil Fuel Subsidies in Historic Move at G20 Summit
by Li Jing (South China Morning Post) The cross-checking system between world’s two worst carbon polluters will be the first time Beijing has allowed another nation to review its domestic energy subsidies -- ... he peer-review mechanism between Beijing and Washington,
September 05, 2016 Read Full Article
Blog: Competing with Sub $50 Oil - a Strategy for Biofuels
by Irshad Ahmed (Lee Enterprises Consulting/Biofuels International) If bioenergy represents a sustainable energy future for the planet, then why must it compete with oil prices to be deemed a feasible energy alternative for the society? The answer is simple: It is because
September 03, 2016 Read Full Article
Court Backs Obama’s Climate Change Accounting
by Timothy Cana (The Hill) A federal appeals court is upholding the Obama administration’s accounting of the costs of greenhouse gas emissions as applied to a Department of Energy (DOE) regulation. In a unanimous decision late Monday, the Chicago-based 7th Circuit
August 15, 2016 Read Full Article
12th F.O. Lichts Sugar & Ethanol Brazil 2016: New Horizons for the Ethanol Industry in Brazil
by Lais F. Thomaz* (Advanced Biofuels USA) From 25 to 27 April 2016, renowned experts, entrepreneurs and government officials were reunited at the "12 th Sugar & Ethanol Brazil," conference organized by F.O. Lichts. In this event, workshops were held
May 06, 2016 Read Full Article
Europe Continues to Get Biodiesel Wrong
by Ron Kotrba (Biodiesel Magazine) A provocative opinion piece on Europe's reliance on unsound indirect land use change theory -- It is clear there is a politicized agenda in Europe to undermine sustainable, liquid biofuels such as biodiesel and forge
May 06, 2016 Read Full Article
An Open Letter to the New US House of Representatives Free Market Green Coalition - Without a Price on Pollution, There are No Market-Based Solutions to Clean Up the Environment
by Robert Kozak* (Advanced Biofuels USA) We welcome US Representatives Adam Kinzinger, Barbara Comstock, Joe Heck, Chris Gibson, Ryan Costello, Kevin Yoder, Richard Hanna, Dave Reichert, Elise Stefanik, Carlos Curbelo, Tom Reed and Bob Dold to the fight against climate
March 16, 2016 Read Full Article
Pushmi-Pullyu: How Do Carbon Prices and Fuel Mandates Work Together in Breaking through a Fossil Fuel Monopoly? Or, Do They?
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) Sometimes, the set-up of the transition from fossil fuels is as pretty and impractical as Dr. Doolittle’s Pushmi-Pullyu. The Digest investigates. -- ... For example, a renewable fuel does not qualify under the Renewable Fuel Standard
January 12, 2016 Read Full Article
Elon Musk Calls for Carbon Price to Halve the Transition Time to Clean Energy
by Lenore Taylor (The Guardian) Businessman and innovator says a scheme similar to the one Australia abandoned would make a huge difference in tackling climate change --- Addressing students at the Sorbonne University on the sidelines of the Paris climate
December 04, 2015 Read Full Article
Everyone’s Favorite Climate Change Fix
by Cristina Maza (The Christian Science Monitor) Economists, officials, and executives across the globe increasingly support carbon pricing to stem the rise of greenhouse-gas emissions. Can it work? --- ... “Pricing carbon obviously adds a cost to our production and our products,”
October 29, 2015 Read Full Article
Oil CEOs Differ on Carbon Strategy, Highlighting Industry Divide
by Sarah Kent And Amy Harder (Morningstar) The chief executives of Royal Dutch Shell PLC and ExxonMobil Corp. laid out contrasting visions this week for reducing fossil-fuel emissions, illustrating a divide between American and European energy companies ahead of a
October 14, 2015 Read Full Article
David Attenborough Backs Huge Apollo-Style Clean Energy Research Plan
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) Naturalist says 10-year public research and development programme, that would emulate race to put men on the moon, could halt climate change -- ... In a letter to the Guardian, the group argue that the approach,
September 16, 2015 Read Full Article
IMF Says Energy Subsidized by $5.3 Trillion Worldwide
by Anna Yukhananov (Reuters) Governments around the world charge prices for energy that do not account for its harmful environmental, health and other side effects, amounting to a $5.3 trillion "post-tax" subsidy this year, the International Monetary Fund said in a
June 08, 2015 Read Full Article
Fossil Fuels Subsidised by $10m a Minute, Says IMF
by Damian Carrington (The Guardian) ‘Shocking’ revelation finds $5.3tn subsidy estimate for 2015 is greater than the total health spending of all the world’s governments -- Fossil fuel companies are benefitting from global subsidies of $5.3tn (£3.4tn) a year, equivalent to $10m
May 19, 2015 Read Full Article
Capturing the Full and Unrealized Value of Biofuels -- Market Mechanisms are Needed
by Ghasideh Pourhashem (Forbes) During the past decade, production of biofuels has gained momentum largely due to policies and mandates aimed at addressing energy security and climate change. ... But if the right kinds of policies are in place, biofuel-generating facilities will
May 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Why Taxes Are Not an Option in Addressing International Civil Aviation's Carbon Footprint
(GreenAirOnline) While the aviation sector continues to implement new technological and operational measures to mitigate its carbon footprint, including the development of sustainable alternative fuels, these initiatives by themselves will not be sufficient to offset the growth in its emissions
March 27, 2015 Read Full Article
With “True Cost” Of Emissions Factored In, Gasoline Would Cost $3.80/Gallon MORE Than The Pump Price
by James Ayre (CleanTechnica) If the “true costs” of emissions — increased rates of premature death, illness, increased loads on the healthcare system, lowered crop yields, missed work days, higher insurance damages from extreme weather events linked to climate change,
March 10, 2015 Read Full Article
Is Cellulosic Ethanol the Next Big Thing in Renewable Fuels?
by Sena Christian (EarthIsland.org) For a long time it seemed like turning the inedible parts of plants into a commercially viable biofuel, known as cellulosic ethanol, was nothing more than a pipedream. The enzymes needed to release sugars from cellulose
January 06, 2015 Read Full Article
Oil’s Swoon Creates the Opening for a Carbon Tax
by Lawrence Summers (The Washington Post) The case for carbon taxes has long been compelling. With the recent steep fall in oil prices and associated declines in other energy prices, it has become overwhelming. There is room for debate about the
January 05, 2015 Read Full Article
Three Ways Renewables Could Benefit From Low Oil Prices
by Jeff McMahon (Forbes) ... International Energy Agency director Maria van der Hoeven and U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz appeared together Thursday at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington DC, where van der Hoeven presented the findings of IEA’s 2014 review
December 19, 2014 Read Full Article
Carbon Fee Bill Would Benefit Algae Industry
by Erin Voegele (Biomass Magazine) Legislation recently introduced in the U.S. Senate includes a provision that would encourage carbon utilization technology. The Algae Biomass Organization has spoken out to applaud the bill, which calls for greenhouse gas (GHG) regulations that
November 21, 2014 Read Full Article
The Next Revolution: Discarding Dangerous Fossil Fuel Accounting Practices
by Alex Nicolson (Renewable Energy World) ... Economists recognize the existence of these costs and call them “externalities.” Other than this recognition, externalities are still not assigned to their correct sources. As just one example, consider the enormous U.S. military budget,
October 29, 2014 Read Full Article
Four Freedoms for the 21st Century
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) ... Over the past year we have seen some remarkable developments in the sector, starting right here in Alberta with the completion and opening of the Enerkem advanced biofuels plant in Edmonton. And, in Italy,
October 24, 2014 Read Full Article
Why Business Leaders Support a Price on Carbon
(The World Bank) The companies we turn to every day for electricity, transportation, consumer goods, and even electronics face risks from climate change. Most need reliable water for production processes and products. Extreme weather and temperatures can hurt their productivity
August 11, 2014 Read Full Article
Renewable Energy Subsidies Are the Most Transparent and Visible
by Zoe Casey (Renewable Energy World) From direct government support to tax breaks and the cost of negative externalities like pollution, subsidies to the power sector take many different — and often hidden — forms. In fact, the exact definition of a subsidy
May 07, 2014 Read Full Article
IMF Rejects Fossil Fuel Subsidies, Calls for Reform
By Paul Brown (Climate News Network/ClimateCentral.org) Fossil fuel subsidies provided by both rich and poor countries to keep their citizens happy are holding back the world economy, accelerating climate change and damaging the health of current and future generations, according
April 26, 2013 Read Full Article
The Hydrogen Problem
by Jim Lane (Biofuels Digest) A numbers of readers responding to “Biofuels from a raging fireball” (Friday’s Top Story, on research work with the raging fireball, Pyrococchus furiosus, to make biofuels and renewable chemicals from hydrogen gas and CO2) raised
April 02, 2013 Read Full Article
IMF: Governments Need to End Energy Subsidies
by Howard Schneider (The Washington Post) Government subsidies of gasoline, electricity and other energy sources amount to about $1.9 trillion a year and should be ended or offset with taxes used to battle climate change and pay for social programs, the International
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
IMF: Want to Fight Climate Change? Get Rid of $1.9 Trillion in Energy Subsidies.
by Brad Plumer (The Washington Post) What’s the simplest way to tackle global warming? Make sure that fossil fuels are priced properly and not subsidized. That’s the core idea behind a large new report (pdf) from the International Monetary Fund, which argues that the
March 28, 2013 Read Full Article
Nobel Prize-Winning US Economists Urge Obama to Support Carbon Pricing in Global Negotiations on Aviation Emissions
(GreenAirOnline) A group of 32 leading US economists, including eight Nobel Prize winners, have written an open letter to President Obama urging him to advance proposals at ICAO for a global market-based measure that would effectively and efficiently reduce greenhouse