Biofuels shambles highlighted

12/08/2008 09:10:10 August 2008. Less than 20 per cent of biofuels are meeting basic environmental standards, the Renewables Fuels Agency (RFA) has admitted. Its report also shows that the amount of former rainforest and other habitats being destroyed to grow fuel crops is unknown. This includes 97 per cent of the palm oil being used to make UK biodiesel.
Dr Sue Armstrong Brown, the RSPB's Head of Countryside and Species Conservation, said: "This report is even worse than we feared and shows what a shambles the UK's biofuel policies have become.

"Here is yet more proof, direct from a UK government body, that voluntary environmental and social standards just aren't working. These standards must be strengthened and made compulsory before targets are raised any further. The industry has been allowed to answer ‘I don't know' to many sustainability questions. That isn't good enough and could mean habitat destruction, and the massive release of greenhouse gases, is going on unreported and undetected. It should mean all plans for raising biofuels targets should be dropped."

Unreliable data
The report claims that biofuels have cut emissions but this figure is based on data the RFA admits is shaky, and excludes greenhouse gases produced from indirect land-use changes - the knock-on effect of growing fuel crops on land once used for food.

In South-East Asia, Africa, South America and the US, enthusiasm and government subsides for fuel crops means food production is being shifted onto wildlife habitats like rainforest, peat land and savannah, areas which, if left alone, store huge amounts of carbon.

Higher targets should be abandoned
Dr Armstrong Brown said: "In just one month's time, Europe's politicians are likely to agree to a much higher 10 per cent target for biofuel use yet the report proves these fuels are doing little good. The UK government should use the report, and last month's damning Gallagher review of the indirect impacts of biofuels, to persuade the rest of Europe to drop that target because current biofuels are destroying precious wildlife sites while doing nothing to tackle climate change."