Can’t win for trying. Fossil fuels prices are back down and now Southeast Asia is unhappy.

Malaysia and Indonesia produce the bulk of the world’s palm oil = the two countries had much to offer the biofuel industry and stood to make a killing by gouging the world on prices for the commodity during the fossil fuel price hikes.

However, when crude oil, which once peaked at $147 a barrel plummeted back to earth at $37ish a barrel, the two southeast Asia countries saw their dreams take a dive as well.

Last year, palm oil prices went up to $1,245/ton. This year – $526/ton after once dipping to $405/ton.

I get the whole supply and deman thing. But, it seems to me that if the palm oil producers could find a fair price and stick with it, they will have a better chance in the long run, no?

Malaysia had hoped to be the world’s leader in the biofuel industry.

Indonesia is still content to make biofuel 5% of its energy mix by 2025.

Both countries will be happy now, just to survive.

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More than 80% of France’s power comes from nuclear power. They, at least, get this part right.

France will send its recycled nuclear fuel to Japan. That’s good news.

The bad news is that environmentalists say it is the biggest ever plutonium shipment and one that increases the chance of nuclear proliferation. Is there ever a chance to make environmentalists happy and do the right thing?

“We confirm the preparation of a shipment to Japan of MOX fuel,” said a spokesman for nuclear group Areva.

MOX, or mixed oxide, is a blend of plutonium and reprocessed uranium that Japan wants use … it’s first try.

Greenpeace (anybody surprised?) says that transporting MOX was “unsafe, insecure and unnecessary.”

This is the first MOX transport to Japan for eight years. This will be the largest shipment of plutonium in history – the MOX fuel elements contain a total of 1.8 tonnes of plutonium.
That’s enough to make 225 nuclear weapons,” it said.

Areva says the production of MOX is safe and it helps reduce the levels of nuclear waste. MOX has been in use in various countries across the world for more than thirty years. But Greenpeace argues: “The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) believes that MOX can be used to make nuclear bombs.”

The OECD Nuclear Energy Agency said “if a malevolent person managed to separate the plutonium from the uranium, which is a difficult process, this plutonium … would be capable of making a nuclear bomb. No-one has done this,” but, “One cannot exclude the possibility that an organization would try, and that is why these convoys are protected.”

Does anybody know anything that Greenpeace is NOT against!?

Nissan Motor Co. announced on Monday that it is planning to mass-produce automotive lithium ion batteries in Portugal come 2012. About the same time, Nissan intends to manufacture electric vehicles globally at full clip.

Nissan has signed an agreement with the Portuguese government to construct a plant. Nissan will be the first Japanese automotive firm to produce next-generation batteries overseas.

They will supply lithium ion batteries for electric vehicles for its own cars and its French partner, Renault SA. Nissan will start rolling out electric vehicles next year in Japan and the U.S. global mass production will begin in 2012.

Terms are still being hammered out. In the meantime, there are lots of Portugese studying Japanese hoping for a job. And, Nissan is making progress toward cutting emissions in its cars.

Source (sub req)

Some 200 pilot whales or thereabouts beached themselves on an island near Australia’s southern state of Tasmania. Most are already dead.

Rescuers say there were 194 pilot whales and seven dolphins that were beached. Around 140 of the whales were already dead by the time authorities and civilian wildlife rescuers arrived. There is hope the remaining mammals could be saved if weather conditions remain calm.

“These are fairly robust animals, pilot whales. While there are animals alive, there is always hope.”

The number of whales stranded in Tasmania’s northwest in the past three months is over 400. Some 48 sperm whales died in January.

Pilot whales are smaller whales, about 16 feet in length with a grey underbelly.

Nobody knows why the whales do this.

Theories include interference from sound produced by human activities at sea. Or, we could just blame global warming.