Since global warming appears to be such a huge and intractable challenge, it is comforting to think there are lots of things that individuals and businesses can do to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that would also save them money.

With this in mind, I rose early this morning to attend a briefing in New York by the Conference Board and McKinsey & Co on their joint report on how the US can reduce its greenhouse gas emissions between now and 2030 in an affordable manner.

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A newspaper’s job (among other things) is to tell you about things of which you have never heard. So hats off to the FT Brussels bureau for its revelation (to me) that the US and Europe are about to agree on trading standards for biofuels to allow Jatropha into Europe.

Jatropha is, apparently, a plant that grows in India and elsewhere and was once used to treat malaria. It is well-suited to biofuels since it has a high yield, grows easily on scrubland and is not a foodstuff.

The FT even provided a photograph (in print) of a Jatropha and a potted history of it, so to speak. I found it very enlightening.