Biotechnology in the News
- 5/1/2008 — Sen. Grassley Op-Ed: Ethanol Fact vs. Fiction — AGWeb
- 5/1/2008 — President Bush Discusses Food Aid — The White House
- 5/1/2008 — Bush is Right on Biofuels — Biotechnology Industry Organization
- 4/28/2008 — Brazil's Counterattack on Biofuels — Time
- 4/23/2008 — If ever the world needed GM food production, it's right now — The Independent
- 4/21/2008 — In Lean Times, Biotech Grains Are Less Taboo — The New York Times
- 4/11/2008 — GM Golden Rice to take the field — The Economic Times
- 4/6/2008 — Research and Markets: In 2007, China's Fuel Ethanol Output Reached 1.6 Million Tons, of Which 80% Used Corn as Raw Materials — BusinessWire
- 3/25/2008 — Viable alternatives — The Washington Times
- 3/19/2008 — New Report Highlights the Success of the Biofuel Industry in India — Newswire
- 3/19/2008 — Brazil's ethanol firms team up to build pipeline — Reuters
- 3/18/2008 — Expensive tastes — Financial Times
- 3/16/2008 — The new organic — Boston Globe
- 3/14/2008 — Hopes are high, as are the hurdles, for alternative fuel — International Herald Tribune
- 3/6/2008 — Biotechnology Is Key To Sustainable Production of Biofuels, BIO Says — Business Wire
- 3/4/2008 — Renewing the fuel debate — Financial Times
- 2/24/2008 — Virgin Flies Biofueled Jet — Associated Press
- Archives
Sen. Grassley Op-Ed: Ethanol Fact vs. Fiction A debate questioning the merits of renewable biofuels is sweeping across the country as Americans spend more and more of their weekly budgets on gas and groceries. Some are blurring facts with fiction as they try to portray corn-based ethanol as the culprit.
AGWeb — By U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa
5/1/2008
President Bush Discusses Food Aid THE PRESIDENT: In recent weeks, many have expressed concern about the significant increase in global food prices. And I share this concern. In some of the world's poorest nations, rising prices can mean the difference between getting a daily meal and going without food.
The White House —
5/1/2008
Bush is Right on Biofuels WASHINGTON, D.C. (Friday, May 01, 2008) - Jim Greenwood, president and CEO of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO), issued the following statement today lauding President Bush’s avowal today that ethanol production is responsible for only a small part of food inflation...
Biotechnology Industry Organization —
5/1/2008
Brazil's Counterattack on Biofuels As soaring commodity prices spark food riots around the globe, prompting a U.N. official to dub the production of biofuels at the expense of food cultivation "a crime against humanity," the debate over the efficiency and morality of using plants as an energy source is heating up. And Brazil, the world's largest producer of biofuels and leader in cheap and efficient production of ethanol, is fighting back against what it calls "disinformation and dishonesty."
Time — By Andrew Downie
4/28/2008
If ever the world needed GM food production, it's right now The dilemma is simple. The sustained hysteria over global warming is finally beginning to cost lives -- as it was bound to. Ignoring the laws of nature -- and the market place is nature at its purest -- will always exact a price. And the price is usually paid by the weakest and the most vulnerable in a society: of course, this will not include -- and never could include -- the well-heeled humbugs who have driven the hysteria in the first place.
The Independent — By Kevin Myers
4/23/2008
In Lean Times, Biotech Grains Are Less Taboo Soaring food prices and global grain shortages are bringing new pressures on governments, food companies and consumers to relax their longstanding resistance to genetically engineered crops. In Japan and South Korea, some manufacturers for the first time have begun buying genetically engineered corn for use in soft drinks, snacks and other foods. Until now, to avoid consumer backlash, the companies have paid extra to buy conventionally grown corn. But with prices having tripled in two years, it has become too expensive to be so finicky.
The New York Times — By Andrew Pollack
4/21/2008
GM Golden Rice to take the field MANILA: Researchers have started trials for genetically modified (GM) Golden Rice as prices of the grain soar internationally and importing nations fret about possible shortages. Gerard Barry, the co-ordinator of the Golden Rice Network, said on Thursday that field testing on the GM rice, enriched with Vitamin A, started last week in the Philippines. “We are at the beginning of the process,” said Barry, who works at the Philippines-based International Rice Research Institute (IRRI).
The Economic Times —
4/11/2008
Research and Markets: In 2007, China's Fuel Ethanol Output Reached 1.6 Million Tons, of Which 80% Used Corn as Raw Materials Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/reports/c87741)
has announced the addition of “China Bioenergy
Industry Report, 2007-2008” to their offering.
In 2007, China's fuel ethanol output reached 1.6 million tons, of which
80% used corn as raw materials. Based on the proportion 1:3.3, more than
four million tons of corn was consumed.
In 2008, China's fuel ethanol production capacity will increase rapidly,
thanks to several fuel ethanol projects to be put into operation
successively in the year. It is estimated that China's annual fuel
ethanol output will reach five million tons in 2010 and utilization rate
of ethanol gasoline will be more than 50%. Moreover, corn-based ethanol
has stopped expanding production capacity, as government policies have
clearly restricted the development of grain-based ethanol. Therefore,
developing non-grain ethanol has become an inevitable trend.
BusinessWire —
4/6/2008
Viable alternatives The increasing global consumption of crop-based biofuels for
transportation is rapidly displacing the amount of petroleum required
to fuel transportation infrastructures. At the same time, increasing
production of crop-based biofuels raises economic and sometimes ethical
questions regarding long-term sustainability of crop production land;
transportation costs; the use of food stocks as a transportation fuel;
and the increased consumer costs associated with diverting corn away
from meat and dairy production. It is therefore imperative that the
second generation of biofuels address these concerns as America
researches, develops and consumes gasoline alternatives.
The Washington Times — By Phil Kent
3/25/2008
New Report Highlights the Success of the Biofuel Industry in India Report Buyer, the online destination for business intelligence for major industry sectors, has added a new report detailing the huge support the biofuel industry receives from the Indian government in form of incentives, tax exemptions, favourable policies etc. Other factors contributing to the success of the biofuel industry in the country are also focused upon in the report.
“Analyzing the Indian Biofuel Industry” reports that although biofuels
are mainly used to replace or supplement the traditional
petroleum-based transportation fuels, they can also be deployed to
generate heat and electricity. Being an alternative to fossils,
biofuels can be applied to existing vehicles with little or no engine
modification. Although they release CO2 when burned in internal
combustion engines, they differ from fossil fuels partly because their
use reduces the net emission of carbon dioxide and other gases
associated with global climate change and partly because they are
biodegradable.
Newswire —
3/19/2008
Brazil's ethanol firms team up to build pipeline Brazil's largest sugar and ethanol group, Cosan (CSAN3.SA: Quote, Profile, Research)(CZZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research), said late on Tuesday it has set up a joint company with Brazilian partners Copersucar and Crystalsev to build and operate an ethanol pipeline. The capital of the new company, which totals 60 million reais ($35.4 million), will be split equally between the three shareholders, but new partners are welcome, Cosan said in a statement.
Reuters — By Inae Riveras
3/19/2008
Expensive tastes John Beddington, Britain's chief scientific adviser, had been in his job for
just two months when he outlined an unnerving scenario for his new employers.
The world, he argued earlier this month, faced an enormous problem - one on a
par with climate change - that policymakers were nonetheless ignoring: food
security. As prices for agricultural commodities, from wheat to milk, have surged
globally with unprecedented speed, social unrest and hunger have emerged in
different parts of the world, challenging rich and poor countries alike and
forcing governments to consider a variety of measures to bring prices down. Long
subject only to the disciplines of the market, producers now increasingly find
themselves contending with higher import tariffs, export bans and price
freezes.
Financial Times — By Javier Blas and Jenny Wiggins
3/18/2008
The new organic Beginning in 1997, an important change swept over cotton farms in northern
China. By adopting new farming techniques, growers found they could spray far
less insecticide over their fields. Within four years they had reduced their
annual use of the poisonous chemicals by 156 million pounds - almost as much as
is used in the entire state of California each year. Cotton yields in the region
climbed, and production costs fell. Strikingly, the number of
insecticide-related illnesses among farmers in the region dropped to a quarter
of their previous level.
Boston Globe — By Pamela Ronald
3/16/2008
Hopes are high, as are the hurdles, for alternative fuel Biofuel, a technology once championed by Henry Ford and Rudolph Diesel, is
roaring back into public consciousness after almost a century of oblivion. Among the factors contributing to its comeback are soaring oil prices,
climate concerns and government anxiety over dwindling oil reserves. The
combination has led more than 40 governments to enact biofuel consumption
mandates that not only set annual targets for adoption but also provide tax
incentives and subsidies to the companies supporting this emerging
technology.
International Herald Tribune — By Holly Hubbard Preston
3/14/2008
Biotechnology Is Key To Sustainable Production of Biofuels, BIO Says WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) Executive
Vice President, Industrial & Environmental Section, Brent Erickson, speaking
today at an event titled “Sustainable Development of
Advanced Biofuels for the 21st Century” held in conjunction with the Washington International
Renewable Energy Conference 2008 (WIREC 2008), released the following statement: “Industrial biotechnology has greatly enhanced the
efficiency of current biofuel production and made it possible to produce
advanced biofuels from a broader range of cellulosic feedstocks, including
dedicated energy crops. Biotechnology companies have developed enzymes that
require less heat and increase the efficiency of biofuel production,
significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions. These companies are also
rapidly improving enzymes that will make cellulosic ethanol production
cost-effective.
Business Wire —
3/6/2008
Renewing the fuel debate The car industry is this week expected to highlight new measures to reduce
CO2 emissions and improve fuel economy, as the
environment once again dominates the agenda at the Geneva auto salon. In every segment famous brands are responding to concerns over climate
change, energy scarcity and the impact of emissions. That impetus for change has
been reinforced by rising oil prices and new regulations, notably the European
Commission’s proposals for reduced CO2
emissions.
Financial Times — By Franz-Josef Paefgen
3/4/2008
Virgin Flies Biofueled Jet Virgin Atlantic carried out the world's first flight of a commercial aircraft
powered with biofuel on Sunday in an effort to show it can produce less carbon
dioxide than normal jet fuels. Some analysts praised the jumbo jet test flight from London to Amsterdam as a
potentially useful experiment. But others criticized it as a publicity stunt and
noted scientists are questioning the environmental benefits of biofuels.
Associated Press — By Thomas Wagner
2/24/2008