'UN plan to develop biofuels from crops'

Under the 'BioFuels Initiative', the UN Conference on Trade and Development will coordinate various activities carried out jointly with other UN agencies, the private sector, NGOs and applied research centres, to build capacity in production, use and trade of biofuels.

Biofuels such as bioethanol, biodiesel and biogas, which are derived from crops such as sugar beet and sunflower, are an ecological alternative to conventional fossil fuels, which are not expected to last long.

The UN estimates that petroleum is not expected to last more than 50 years while could last 60 years.

But coal reserves could last up to 200 years, according to current projections. Careless use and consumption of fossil fuels has caused climate change and high concentration of air pollutants in major cities, according to the world body.