Biofuels may speed up, not slow global warming: study

CHICAGO (AFP) --The use of crop-based biofuels could speed up rather than slow down global warming by fueling the destruction of rainforests, scientists warned Saturday.

Once heralded as the answer to oil, biofuels have become increasingly controversial because of their impact on food prices and the amount of energy it takes to produce them.

More on alleged eco-hero Prince Charles | Rod Liddle - Times Online

Meanwhile, Harry’s dad, Prince Charles, is doing his bit to save the world from environmental destruction by embarking on a 16,400-mile eco-tour of South America on a large private jet. His intention is to see for himself the scale of destruction caused by global warming so far – and, presumably, to try to double it. As an environmental undertaking, it is equivalent to the prince personally strangling 527 polar bears.

His office has said that he fully intends to “offset” his enormous carbon emissions, which of course is the way affluent people get to have the eco cake and eat it. In this case it will probably mean the prince foresting most of western Europe, leaving just a few acres of clear space somewhere in the area of Klosters.

He will be taking 14 staff with him, presumably including the flunky who is said to boil him several eggs every morning (so that the Great Green Prince can be sure of having one with the right consistency of yolk). The jaunt will cost around a modest £300,000, which he might be kind enough to offset by abolishing himself.

Will more than half of the world's electricity users observe Earth Hour?

"Earth Hour is a visual mandate that allows people to vote on this issue of climate change. Do we act or do we not," Earth Hour executive director Andy Ridley said last night in a phone interview from Sydney, Australia, where the event began two years ago.