Biofuels research

Scientific American (New York, May 7) -- Stanford University will stop investing in coal companies after its board of trustees voted to eliminate direct investments in publically traded companies that mine coal for electricity generation. Ultimately, the best possible choice to support an energy transition away from fossil fuels is for profits from fossil-related activities to fund renewable energy research. Fortunately, this is happening already. For instance, BP made a $500 million deal with The University of California, Berkeley, and the U. of I. to fund the Energy Biosciences Institute, which is devoted to biofuels research.