Brazil: going it alone in biofuels

The expansion of the ethanol market could contribute to fighting climate change if the trade barriers in the developed economies are removed, said World Bank president Robert Zoellick, in a nod to Brazil's desire to boost its alternative fuels.

The statement from Zoellick was transmitted by video to the G8+5 Legislators Forum on Climate Change, held in Brasilia, Feb. 20-21.The forum drew lawmakers from the Group of Eight (G8) most powerful countries, and from five emerging economies -- Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa -- and was promoted by GLOBE (Global Legislators Organization for a Balanced Environment) and the COM+ Alliance, a partnership of international organizations and communications professionals.

The legislators discussed a document on plant-based fuels that included six criteria for sustainability and the need to establish a certification system for ethanol and biofuels to be recommended for mitigating climate change.

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