Picking Poison over Petroleum

As President Bush delivers the State of the Union address this week, he opens the door to a new stage of energy diversification for the nation. Some of the answers may yet come from places he hasn’t looked.

The jatropha plant (known more commonly in English as physic nut) is abundant, if overlooked. Like so many of the world’s plants, jatropha grows in the biologically diverse climates of Africa, southern North America, and the Caribbean. From its original location in the Caribbean islands, the European traders of the Age of Exploration fostered its propagation along their routes.

Though poisonous when eaten, the jatropha genus and its species hold immense potential for improving human life in this new age of biologically-derived fuel.

India, where the jatropha was introduced by Portuguese traders centuries ago, is now the world’s hotbed for jatropha-based biodiesel. The weedy plant’s potential for nuisance is matched only by its utility, as India’s national rail operator has found.

Energy and Capital