Big tax incentives and mandatory minimum take-up to encourage the use of biofuels have been proposed in draft documents from the European Commission's Energy and Transport directorate.

The EC is keen to promote their use to cut CO₂ emissions. It has calculated that the use of biofuels would cut 2.5 tons of the 3.2 tons of CO₂ per 1,000 litres of conventional fuel - a saving of 78%.

EU's consumption of biofuels stands at 0.5% of current diesel and petrol consumption. In order to stimulate the market, the Commission would be willing to provide tax breaks of 50% on biofuels.

In addition, the EC will set a requirement for a certain minimum percentage of biofuel for all fuel sold through the EU. This should be 2% by 2005 rising to 5.75% by 2010.

A study conducted by Icon, a British firm for the environment directorate revealed that the European Commission plans to propose EU limits on dioxins and other organic pollutants in sewage sludge for farm spreading are misplaced.

The report added that there may be "little practical or environment benefit" to be gained from adopting controls on the content of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), dioxins and furans, or PCBs in sludges.

The report highlighted that the real threat comes from rising pollution from household sources, particularly detergents and surfactants such as LAS and nonyl phenols which are not removed by the principal technique used to stabilize sludge.

Ford Motor Co. has signed an exclusive agreement with the US EPA to develop a new kind of hybrid engine for trucks and sport utility vehicles.

The Ford-EPA system uses a pressurized liquid to store energy, which is different from that of the electric hybrid cars that uses gasoline engine with an electric motor and battery pack.

Hydraulic motors and pumps recover energy from the engine and brakes, then use the pressure from the tanks to help power the vehicle. The advantages offered by the Ford-EPA system are:-

1. Tanks to store pressurized liquid may be lighter and cheaper,
2. Hydraulic system produces more torque and is an important consideration for trucks that require high-torque engines.

Scientists in the Alaskan Arctic have discovered that shrubs are growing larger and spreading across previously barren territory in the tundra. The findings add to the scientific consensus that the region is gradually getting warmer.

Federal researchers combed through archives of aerial photos, comparing new images to those of the same locations taken 50 years ago. Of the 66 aerial photos taken for the study, growth increases were reported in 36 of those images, with the growth of some plants estimated to be as much as 15%.

Aerial photos were taken in July of 1999 and 2000 from a low-flying aircraft over a swath of land measuring 248 miles from east-to-west and 93 miles north-south. They identify the exact area, including the same shrub clusters that the military originally photographed between 1948 and 1950.

Fuel cell vehicles can be commercially viable in California, North America's largest auto market, but a focused development effort and government help are needed to help them get on the road, according to a study.

The study said commercialisation would come faster if developers agree the first cars on the road would use compressed hydrogen, and allow time to develop the equipment needed to reformulate the hydrogen from liquid fuels. Fuel cells produce electricity from hydrogen by a chemical reaction, but developers are at odds over what fuels to reformulate to get the hydrogen.

Another major obstacle to the use of fuel cells in vehicles is the lack of fuelling infrastructure. The gasoline eyed by some designers as a source of the fuel cells' hydrogen is different from the gasoline now sold, and would require service stations to undergo expensive retrofits.

Worldwatch Institute, a Washington DC-based environmental research organization reported that hydrogen is geared to be the power of the new millennium.

The study noted that the shift to hydrogen is driven partially by rapid improvements in the fuel cell technology - which uses hydrogen to produce electricity, and motivated by the need to address the world's pressing energy-related problems.

It also highlighted three main driving forces in the push to a hydrogen economy:-

1. Auto industry
2. Energy industry
3. Government initiatives