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This, we're told, is almost certainly another demonstration of the effects of global warming and if we're to avoid the doomsday run-away planetary heating predicted by some, we have to slash our greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydrogen - it's the fuel of the future, we're told.

Clean burning (producing nothing more than heat and water), the most plentiful element in the universe, and our only alternative to dirty, polluting hydrocarbons.

But, as I've pointed out in previous columns, hydrogen is not actually a fuel because you have to extract it from other compounds -- a process that requires the input of energy or the use of those dirty hydrocarbons such as oil or natural gas.

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But wait -- scientists are telling us that they'll be able to genetically engineer bacteria which will metabolise renewable substances such as wood-pulp and waste materials to produce the hydrogen we need. Indeed, if this is true then hydrogen could become the fuel of the future.

Of course we don't have any of these little single-celled beasties yet, but there's little doubt that if we tweak a gene here and bend a bit of DNA there, this is an achievable goal.

But hang on -- those greenies who are pro-hydrogen are also anti-GM/GE. What a conundrum!

But wait, there's more!

While trawling for this morning's headlines and links, I came across this story on the New Scientist website.

Surely a bacteria such as the cyanobacteria described in this story would be a great start if you're looking to effectively produce an organic form of electrolysis. Just think about it -- a bacteria that would not only produce sufficient oxygen to reverse the greenhouse effect that's presently causing global warming but also generate the fuel of the future as another waste-product.

This all sounds great doesn't it?

Well I for one am not convinced.

What happens if such an organism spreads beyond our control?

The earth could be plunged into a new ice-age that would have even worse repercussions than the global warming we currently face.

While playing God by engineering new life forms might sound like a great "quick fix" to our current situation, I think maybe we should think long and hard before we commit ourselves to such a risky venture. The problem is (we're told) that we don't have much time to do this thinking because we're already well down the path to global warming.

So here we are with all this technology and scientific knowledge at our disposal - what should we do?

Does the prospect of laboratory botch-ups during the engineering of bio-electrolysis bacteria worry you?

Is bio-electrolysis our best prospect for a clean, green future, or are the dangers being downplayed?

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