Today in Biofuels Opinion: “The market’s in paralysis from a financing standpoint”

Arnold Klann, CEO of BlueFire Ethanol Fuels: “The market’s in paralysis from a financing standpoint. [The food vs fuel debate] has affected [our ability] to raise money…You’ve got to get past the negative press and negative connotation.”

Kemal Dervis, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme: “The world has seen a huge jump in food prices this year due to what analysts have called a “perfect storm” of factors including increased demand from developing countries, growth in biofuels production and escalating oil prices. There are many causes. One of them is the ethanol programmes that are based on food crops, which are being subsidied by some of the rich countries … One important thing we are discussing is that the fight against climate change and fight against poverty should not be viewed as two separate things. They must be integrated into the overall strategy.”

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