Otaviano Canuto, an executive director at the World Bank, believes biofuels may yield a triple dividend: greater energy security, a cleaner environment, and more economic development. For less developed countries, biofuels offer an outlet for using idle or underemployed human and natural resources.

Driven by energy security and environmental concerns, global calls for greater biofuel production will involve important trade-offs. With Brazil and the U.S. jointly producing 70 percent of the world's ethanol supply, panelists highlighted possibilities for greater bilateral cooperation.

Stefan Krauter, chair of Rio World Climate and Energy Events, and Keith Parsons examine alternative energies in Brazil and throughout the Americas. Both large and small projects, including wind energy initiatives, will be critical to meeting energy demands.

Topics in this issue:
• Chávez’s new term
• Nationalization plans
• Oil companies

With Iraq and other priorities competing for the attention of U.S. policymakers, the question of Bolivia is overlooked. But, situated in the heart of South America, with the second-largest natural gas reserves in the Western Hemisphere, Bolivia's unsettled course bears close watch.

Greater attention to energy issues in the hemisphere among both producing and consuming nations and a long-term regional strategy is required

A Report of the Council of the Americas’ Energy Action Group