The Big Biofuels Blog

Here are some recent blog posts about Jatropha.
SandeepOzard's blogpage a pretty thorough round up on the plant, by the looks of things
Clement Nyirenda's Blog World an interesting look at things from an african perspective
The Energy Blog pretty solid stuff from the Fraserdomain
Jatropha: The Next Biofuel Craze
Biopact
href="http://greenoptions.com/2007/03/29/jatropha_the_alternative_plant_for_renewable_energy">Greenoptions
Energy and Electric Power news
WSJ online Blogs
Fuel for thought
Tree Hugger

So from this list I'd say that if you're interested in Jatropha, and judging by Technorati, its a pretty small blogging field then the people you should be reading (apart from the Big Biofuels Blog, of course) are Biopact, Wired and the Fraserdomain.

I thought, that you might like to see what my desk looks like.

So is my desk tidier than yours?

Check out the biofuelwatch blog. The report on the COLOMBIA EMERGENCY CONFERENCE “Global Crisis, Human Rights and Agrofuels” makes interesting reading on how life is on the ground for many people at the sharp end of the biofuels business in the developing world.

What this reports shows, apart from the lack of civil society in Columbia, (and the disdain in which the author holds Fedepalma) is that there needs to be an ethical approach to biofuels by the developed countries that will be the main consumers. I think that this should include a measure of the plantation method that is used to grow the oil, and the treatment of people on the land before the plantations came. How wealth from the biodiesel is spread through indigenous farmers for a start.

It cannot be acceptable to forcibly relocate people except possibly in natural disasters. Planting oil palm is not a substitute for forest. In countries where civil society is weak then audit should be a mandatory part of the aid process. With further aid being tied to satisfactory audit by donors. This is not colonialism it is ethical.

Put out the flags. I've reached the 1000 post mark. I started this in October 2006 with an open if sceptical mind. Its been a lot of fun so far. I've met a whole bunch of people who have commented on what I've written and offered suggestions and I'd like to thank you for that. I've also come to some conclusions about biofuels in my first 1000 posts on this topic. So here's my take on the state of the biofuel industry at the moment.

That there's a lot of misinformation.

That there's real potential for biofuels to make a difference, at least locally, in the developing world and building bridges between the world's rich and poor nations.

That there is a lot of waste that could be converted in to fuel, if we can persuade society to do it.  The Ineos story, is a good example of what might be possible.

That there is not enough edible oil in the world to keep America on the road for more than three months (and there'd be no fried food).

That you can only use old cooking oil for biodiesel economically as a home brewer if there's no serious competition for it.

That America needs to improve the fuel efficiency of its vehicle fleet more quickly than it is probably capable of doing.

That second generation biofuels are an excellent idea in principle, but are still some way off.

That the price of food is almost certainly linked to the availability of raw materials, but global trade in food muddies the water.

That once people become accustomed to subsidies its hard to wean them off.

That farmers are one of the biggest and toughest lobbies in the world (see the last point).

That weeds are potentially biofuel crops (Jatropha, Pongamia ).

That sweet sorghum is underrated as a potential biofuel.

That algae could be used to sequester the carbon dioxide from power generation plants ( so could clever chemical catalysts).

That Corn is good on the cob and Gallagher is largely right

Right, I'd better get on with the next one...

25x25.org in the US is launching the 25x25blog on 1 April. I'll be keeping an eye on it. 25x25 is an interesting organisation this is its vision:
By 2025, America's farms, forests and ranches will provide 25 percent of the total energy consumed in the United States, while continuing to produce safe, abundant, and affordable food, feed and fiber.