Biofuels introduction to happen slower than planned - Telegraph

The introduction of biofuels into the UK fuel supply will happen more slowly than originally planned, new Government proposals reveal today.

The controversial fuels were due to make up 5 per cent of transport fuels by 2010-2011, but concerns have been raised about their impact on the environment and the price of food.

Under the new proposals, suppliers would not be required to source 5 per cent of transport fuels for UK vehicles from organic matter such as palm oil and sugar beet until 2013/2014.

The slowdown would be in line with the findings of the Gallagher Review, which warned current policies could cause greenhouse gas emissions rather than savings - for example if forests were cleared for crop plantations.

It also found that increasing demand for biofuels was contributing to rising food prices in the EU and in developing countries.

NY museum's climate change show dives into politics | Reuters

Curator Edmond Mathez said that when he proposed the exhibition a few years ago, he was frustrated that public awareness did not match the alarm felt by scientists.

"The news media was presenting climate change as a controversial issue, which is complete nonsense, it's not (controversial)," Mathez told Reuters on Tuesday at a preview of the exhibition that opens on Saturday and runs in New York through August 2009.

"WE DID IT CORRECTLY"

"I'm sure there are some people that will condemn it out of hand," he said of the exhibition. "What's important to me as a scientist is my colleagues will walk through here and say we did it correctly, that we present the issue objectively."

He said scientists are inclined to be skeptical, so it is remarkable that so many agree on the causes of climate change.

"There's always a group of people that are simply not going to believe it, and it's not clear to me that many of those actually know very much about the science."

Mathez said comments by Palin questioning the cause of climate change "border on irresponsible."

Museum President Ellen Futter said the museum has a history of tackling issues "at the nexus of science and society."

"Although scientists ... still can't predict with precision exactly which impacts will take place where, how frequently and to what degree, there is now overwhelming scientific consensus, 90 percent of scientists agree, that there is an urgent need to address the problem," Futter said.