By Arthur Max, Associated Press AMSTERDAM, Netherlands Only a
few years ago, oil from palm trees was viewed as an ideal
biofuel: a cheap, renewable alternative to petroleum that would
fight global warming. Energy companies began converting
generators and production soared. Now, it's increasingly seen as
an example of how well-meaning efforts to limit climate-changing
carbon emissions may backfire. Marcel Silvius, a climate expert
at Wetlands International in the Netherlands, led a team that
compared the benefits of palm oil to the ecological harm from
destroying virgin Asian rain forests to develop lucrative new
plantations. His conclusion: "As a biofuel, it's a failure."
Scientists and policymakers from more than 100 countries are
meeting in Brussels, starting Monday to report on the impact of
global warming, including storms, flooding and the extinction of
plants and animals. Then in May, the group intends to issue
recommendations on how best to fight it, through new
technologies and possible use of alterna