The planet

RUBBISH ENERGY

A rubbish-sorting plant in Canada will be able to transform more than 100,000 tonnes of plastic, cardboard and paper into ethanol in 2010. It will be the first industrial-scale plant of its kind in the world, capable of producing 36 million litres of the fuel per year.

BIOFUEL WARNING

Food costs are rising and more than 30 million people worldwide are being put into poverty because of the increased use of biofuels, aid agency Oxfam reported last week. Many nations have turned to biofuels in a bid to reduce their dependence on imported oil, but critics warn that their use has led to a shortage of grain, which has pushed up commodity prices. The group also blames government targets and subsidies for biofuels that have contributed to their expanded use.

SAVE THE CHEETAH

The US and Iran have put their nuclear disputes aside for the time being to join forces and save a rare species – the Asiatic cheetah. Less than 100 of the animals remain in the central deserts of Iran, where they will soon be trapped and then monitored as part of a United Nations project. Cheetahs and their main food source, gazelles, were hunted to near extinction in the period after the 1979 Iranian Revolution. The conservation project has also established anti-poaching measures and guards to monitor the population.

GREEN DIVIDEND

UK homeowners will receive extra financial incentives if they fit their properties with solar panels and wind turbines, according to a £100bn Government renewable energy strategy to be released this week. Homeowners who create excess energy will also be able to sell it back to the national grid at premium prices. The high cost of installing such renewable appliances has prevented many homeowners from using the technology.