An article in the journal Science (August 2007) argues that the the EU target of ensuring 10% of petrol and diesel comes from renewable sources by 2020 is not an effective way to curb carbon emissions.

How much bioenergy can Europe produce without harming the environment?, published by the European Environment Agency, concludes that increasing the use of renewable energies offers significant opportunities for Europe to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and secure its energy supply. However, the substantial rise in the use of biomass from agriculture, forestry and waste for producing energy might put additional pressure on farmland and forest biodiversity as well as on soil and water resources.

Champagne has become the first region in France to announce a clear breakdown of its carbon dioxide emissions, and set out strategies for reducing them (see news article here). Speaking at the official launch of the Bordeaux Carbon Initiative this week, representatives from the Champagne region revealed the results of their own carbon study, first undertaken in 2003.

The Government of South Australia’s Department of Primary Industries has just published the results of a piece of research that looks at the economic and environmental impacts of selling South Australian wine in the United Kingdom, a key market for Australian wine. The project takes a ‘value chain analysis’ approach for the ‘Oxford Landing’ wine brand, looking at 5 areas: Consumer value, Material flow, Emissions, Information flow and Relationships.

An article on the impact of the 2003 heatwave on European vegetation and agricultural production can be found in the journal Nature, Nature 437, 529-533 (22 September 2005). The heatwave that parched Europe in 2003 caused the continent's grasslands and forests to release huge amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Heatwaves are predicted to become more common as a result of climate change, so the discovery raises fears that forests in temperate regions will become significant emitters of this greenhouse gas.

In October 2008 the National Farmers Union launched a campaign and accompanying report entitled Why Science Matters for Farming. It sets out the role that scientific research has played and continues to play in improving food productivity and sustainability, with case studies, and highlights why science matters for farming in coming years.