The current economic and political factors-recession, national instability in areas like-middle east, wars and terrorism, uncooperative oil rich nations and so on, has led to the mass awareness of the necessity to shift reliance from oil which in turn has led to a surge among analysts in predicting a boost for and surge in biofuel research, development and availability. This has also led to a shift in the focus of stock market investors as is evident from recent stats which show that they are expecting better profitability to from biofuels and not from oil investments. A worldwide shift indicates that there exists a real possibility of biofuels supplying a major part-as high as 7% – of the world’s need for total transportation fuels by 2030 as demand for diesel and gasoline will dramatically slow down and all the major governments will continue to provide incentives to encourage the use of eco-friendly fuel.

Already, major actions are being taken by nations such as Brazil-which is world’s biggest producer of sugar derived ethanol; United States-which is world’s second largest biofuel producer and even European Union which has jumped on the bandwagon of biodiesel production -mostly from oils of rapeseed, soybean and palm.

Only one oil spill can cause enormous devastation on wildlife and habitats, but seas all over the world take in millions of gallons of oil every year. The long-term effect of such a disaster is the subject of much debate among scientists. Some argue that animals and birds are harmed many years after the event, while other people believe wildlife is more resilient. For example, according to research, otters and other animals are still suffering nearly 12 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska, which is considered one of the worst in terms of damage to the environment.

Oil affects wildlife by coating their bodies with a thick layer, more and more over time and adheres to their skin or fur even more. Floating over the water surface, birds and marine mammals are caught, some fish even being attracted by the spill because it looks like food.

Every year at least half a million water birds die from encounters with spilt oil, according to Jay Holcomb, executive director of the International Bird Rescue Research Center in Fairfield, California. For a bird to survive such a spill, rescuers must arrive quickly, with water and food. The animals are placed in plastic tubs, being washed with warm water and mild soap. For the eyes and ears, a water pick or toothbrush is used to avoid damaging sensitive organs.

The birds are literally shampooed. After this they are left to bathe to put their feathers in order. They secrete and rub on their feathers natural oil that acts as a conditioner. When the birds regain a natural weight and blood values, they are released back into the wild. Human efforts are considerable, preventing the death of tens of animals. For example, in June 2000, when 1,300 tons of oil was spilled in the Atlantic Ocean, 90 percent of the rescued birds survived. Today the African penguin population is 19% more numerous due to the human efforts, according to University of Cape Town researchers who monitor the birds.