The events at Copenhagen were definitely a setback for the future, but a lot of attention is going to be given nevertheless to our needs to become sustainable. There had been much hope for lasting accord in Denmark, as nations met to discuss a successor to the original Kyoto Protocol. Once again though, politics and domestic interests came to the fore, even though individual countries did promise to take concerted action.

Each week seems to bring forward additional evidence pointing to the contribution of greenhouse gas emissions to environmental damage. Over 300 years we have given little regard to the consequences of energy production and use or our reliance on fossil fuels. There is no doubt that a lot of harm will ensue unless we change our ways soon.

In Europe, the United Kingdom has taken a lead in introducing a trading scheme to force the largest emitters of greenhouse gases to buy allowances from the government, thus enabling them to emit extra carbon. Should these companies improve efficiency and reduce their use, they will receive rebates and bonuses. However, if they become efficient they will get bonuses and rebates. This is just an example of what governments may do as they force our attention toward sustainability.

Pollution can often be traced back to our over-reliance on transportation and our thirst for petro diesel and petroleum to fuel our vehicles. As such, biodiesel fuel is an excellent option and in many cases is much more palatable and can even reduce carbon dioxide related emissions as compared to those conventional gases.

The EPA has recently found that greenhouse gases are a hazard to health under the powers given to them by the Clean Air Act. This may well give rise to further legislation or the application of existing powers to cut back on emissions, including those from our vehicles.

If biodiesel can be shown to be a workable alternative and a solution that has benefits above and beyond carbon emissions, then we could see a concerted increase in the number of facilities making biodiesel, more distribution stations and more people converting to the use of biodiesel for their diesel engine vehicles. Within Petro diesel engines, biodiesel may be used without any further modifications and can be used in a variety of different strengths.

Biodiesel is not a new invention, far from it, but has been in the shadows due to what used to be relatively inexpensive costs associated with petroleum or petro diesel and a lack of education and awareness surrounding related carbon emissions. That was the past, but this is now and as society continues to demand that we all become more sustainable, bio fuel advocates should ensure that this fuel becomes part of our talking points and alternatives. It is time that more people moved from making homemade biodiesel to demanding that the product be made commercially available within their communities.

We now know that if we all make a concerted effort individually toward real change, whether in small things or on a large scale, anything is possible when it comes to global environmental sustainability, for us, and for our future generations.