The increasing in oil price and the growing scientific consensus that increasing levels of greenhouse gas emissions are changing the Earthg's climate are compelling vehicle manufacturers to come up with environmental friendly, fuel efficient, and alternative fueled vehicles. In this paper, we make a comparative analysis of energy efficient solutions adopted by the two leading economies of the northern and southern parts of the Western Hemisphere, the United States and Brazil, to reduce the emission of carbon dioxide (CO 2) by the automotive fleet. In addition, we present a study of the differences in ethanol production in the U.S. (corn ethanol) and in Brazil (sugarcane ethanol), which involve several aspects from social and ethical (the "food versus fuel" debate), to energy efficiency reached by each of these two types of ethanol. The results presented in this paper is based on undergraduate research by engineering students participating in "the U.S.-Brazil Engineering Education Consortium on Renewable Energy" funded by the U.S. Dept. of Education and CAPES-Brazil. Engineering graduates are now required to work in an increasingly globalized world, where most large engineering projects require multi-national teams to work together. By participating in an exchange program, students have opportunity to broader their views, and to have a better understanding of global issues. 4349Int. Assoc. Sci. Technol. Dev. (IASTED)Esparragoza, I., Devon, R., Forming global engineers: A freshman engineering design course with a multinational design project involving Latin American institutions (2007) ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition Proceedings, , paper AC 2007-1188Oliveira, A., Lima, I., Implementation of an international multidisciplinary engineering education consortium ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, 2009(2010), www.eia.gov/oiaf/ieo/index.html, International Energy Outlook, July Retrieved in Nov. 2010(2010) BP Statistical Review of World Energy, , www.bp.com/statisticalreview, June Retrieved in Nov. 2010El-Sharkawi, M.A., (2008) Electric Energy: An Introduction, , 2 nd Edition, CRC PressCerovsky, Z., Mindl, P., Hybrid Electric Cars, Combustion Engine driven cars and their Impact on Environment (2008) International Symposium on Power Electronics, Electrical Drives, Automation and Motion, SPEEDAM 2008, pp. 739-743(2004) Biofuels for Transport: An International Perspective, , http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/2004/biofuels2004.pdf, Retrived in Nov. 2010Momoh, O., Omoigui, M., An overview of hybrid electric vehicles technology (2009) IEEE Vehicle Power and Propulsion Conference, pp. 1286-1292Table of Brazilian National Production of Light Vehicles, , http://www.anfavea.com.br/tabelas/autoveiculos/tabela10_producao.pdf, (Retrieved in Nov. 2010) In PortugueseDe Paula, E., Ethanol from sugar cane: A successful alternative energy strategy for Brazil (2008) Portland International Center for Management of Engineering and Technology, PICMET 2008 Proceedings(2001) Impactos Ambientais Do Refino Do Petroleo, , Msc. Thesis: Jacqueline Barbosa Mariano, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Feb. In PortugueseVon Braum, J., PAchauri, R.K., The Promises and Challenges of Biofuels for the Poor in Developing Countries (2006) IFPRI, , http://www.ifpri.org/sites/default/files/pubs/pubs/books/ar2005/ar05e.pdf, Retrieved in Dec. 2010De Azevedo, J.M., Galiana, F.D., The Sugarcane Ethanol Power Industry in Brazil: Obstacles, Success and Perspectives (2009) IEEE Electrical Power & Energy Conference, pp. 1-6(1999) Automotive Fuels for the Future IEA: The Search for Alternatives, , http://www.iea.org/textbase/nppdf/free/1990/autofuel99.pdf, Retrieved in Dec. 2010Macedo, I., Leal, M., Da Silva, J., (2004) Balanço Das Emissões de Gases Do Efeito Estufa Na Produção e No Uso de Etanol No Brasil, , State of Sao Paulo Government, Abril In Portuguese1 o Inventario Nacional de Emissões Atmosféricas Por Veículos Automotores Rodoviários. (In Portuguese), , http://www.antt.gov.br/inventario/documentos/inventarionacional20110209. pdf, Retrieved in March 2010http://www.hybridcars.com/corporate-incentives.htmlFund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) Home Page, , http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/fipse/index.html, Retrieved on March 2009 from