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Biofuels are made at least partly from biological materials such as plants, and they are being promoted by the US government, the European Union and other states including Brazil as an environmentally friendly solution to dependence on fossil fuels such as oil.

In Europe, biodiesel is expected to be the most common product, produced from a variety of vegetable oils. Bioethanol, made from grain, already provides more than 35 per cent of the fuel for vehicles in Brazil, and its use is climbing in the United States where President Bush has called for more alternative energy, and more usage of plant-based fuels.

So is this technology really the next big leap forward in the story of energy? Or do bio-fuels themselves have some serious drawbacks.

Could they damage the environment and furnish an expensive distraction from the search for better sources of power?

Joining World Business Review's Lesley Curwen to discuss this are, from Reading in the UK, Sean Sutcliffe, Chief Executive of Biofuels Corporation; from Berkely in California, Professor Tad Patzek from the University of California Berkeley, a well-known critic of bio-fuels; and from Brussels, Paul Hodson, the EU official responsible for the implementation of Europe-wide biofuels targets.

Listen here (Real)

First broadcast: Saturday, 18 February, 2006 at 0732 GMT