"Sweet Fuel: A Political and the Environmental History of Brazilian Ethanol traces the ethanol industry from its inception under a state institution in 1933 through the height of government intervention under the national program during the dictatorship to its rebirth with the launch of the...

pt. 1. Macroeconomic and distributional dimensions of energy shocks -- pt. 2. Social, local and environmental impacts of changes in the energy market -- pt. 3. The impacts of bio and alternative fuels -- pt. 4. Conclusions.

Many low income countries in Africa are optimistic that producing biofuels domestically will not only reduce their dependence on imported fossil fuels, but also stimulate economic development, particularly in poorer rural areas. Skeptics, on the other hand, view biofuels as a threat to food...