Brazil Hosting International Biofuels Conference Focused on Sustainable Development

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--The International Conference on Biofuels organized by Brazil's government is being held in Sao Paulo from November 17 to November 21. Representatives from 92 countries, including members of governments, parliaments, international organizations and the scientific community are expected to gather to debate on the current situation of biofuels worldwide under the theme "Biofuels as a driving force of sustainable development." Five major issues related to biofuels are being addressed: energetic security and the transition in the energetic matrix; climate change; ecological and food sustainability; innovation and technology; and trade rules and the international market.

The conference is divided in two stages. The first stage has concluded, lasting from November 17 to November 19, consisted of five plenary sessions in which nongovernmental participants presented reports and debated the five major issues. In the second stage, which will be held today and tomorrow, official government representatives will debates the plenary sessions' conclusions. U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, who led the U.S. delegation, said, "At this conference, the United States will emphasize the sustainable production and use of biofuels as a positive contribution to worldwide economic development that maintains food production, increases energy independence and mitigates climate change."

Currently, the ethanol produced in the United States and Brazil accounts for 90% of the world's production. The two countries have reached an agreement to jointly research cellulose ethanol production. "We are excited for the rapidly developing second generation biofuels, which will allow production of energy based on a wide variety of locally available materials," Schafer said. "This will allow more flexibility for farmers to get involved and reduce the dependency on one or two feedstock sources."

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