Should Berkeley accept $5o0 million from BP to research Biofuels? That depends on a couple of things, in my mind - are biofuels a good idea? I think there is a lot of evidence to suggest no, at least on the scale touted by many politicians and businesspeople as a pancea to solve the impeding oil crisis. On a small scale, with appropriate environmental considerations, the answer might be yes. And why is BP interested? Not to be "green" (yes to appear green). Because biofuels, especially with government subsidies, stand to be money makers. I'm not against an oil (and I should say solar) company like BP taking the lead on new technologies, but I want to make sure that these technologies are appropriate for solving the problem, and are truely green. Biofuels are failing...
Interestingly enough, some students at Berkeley have noticed, and are opposed to it! This is incredibly good news. Most Berkeleyans think the BP-Biofuels thing is good, e.g. green. I hope this opposition by students will spark much-needed debate on this subject. Check it out here: Stop BP-Berkeley
Let's get the attention of Chancellor Birgeneau.
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