UK launches 2.5% biofuels transport requirement

April 15, 2008
Environmentalists and charities have criticized the UK's requirement that all fuels must have 2.5% of biofuels, claiming the measure is raising food prices and damaging the environment.

Uchenna Izundu
International Editor

LONDON, Apr. 15 -- Environmentalists and charities have criticized the UK government's requirement that all fuels must have 2.5% of biofuels, claiming the measure is raising food prices and damaging the environment through land conversion and increased usage of chemical fertilizers.

The new policy became effective Apr. 15 under the government's Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) to ensure that it meets European Union regulations. By 2010 the share will reach 5% and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 2.5 million tonnes.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association said: "This initiative may be well intentioned, but it is highly flawed. Loopholes allow subsidized fuel from unsustainable sources to be certified. Companies are entitled to answer 'unknown' to the question of what the previous land use was and still be eligible for [an RTFO] certificate."

The Department for Transport will publish a report in June reviewing the use of biofuels, after which ministers may postpone or drop plans to increase the amount of biofuel in petrol and diesel to 10% by 2020.

Oxfam International warned that millions of indigenous people in Asia, Africa, and South America would lose their homes as land is cleared to build biofuel plantations such as palm oil.

But Jeremy Woods, leader of the biofuels working group at the Royal Society, said the RTFO could succeed if it promotes the best biofuels. This would be achieved by changing the RTFO to support the fuels with the lowest emissions by including a greenhouse reduction target.

"The RTFO helps send a message to industry that it is worth their while to significantly invest in improving existing biofuels and accelerate the development of new ones," he commented.

Soaring food prices have led India to curb rice exports, and higher fuel prices have also seen uprisings in Indonesia and Ivory Coast among other places. According to Oxfam, about 30% of recent food price inflation is due to biofuel production.

A survey commissioned by Friends of the Earth found that 9 out of 10 people did not know that their vehicles would now use renewable fuels.

Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].