The UK should impose a moratorium on its biofuels targets because they are jeopardizing reliable food supply in developing countries and harming the environment, a group of UK parliament members has recommended.
In a report analyzing government policy, the Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) said not all biofuels are sustainable, and targets should not be implemented at a national and European level if this contributes to rainforest destruction and competition for land use.
“Biofuels are generally an expensive and ineffective way to cut greenhouse gas emissions when compared to other policies,” EAC said. “Emissions from road transport can be cut cost-effectively and with lower environmental risk by implementing a range of other policies.”
The committee recommended that the government focus on sustainable biofuels such as waste vegetable oil and improving sustainable biofuels technologies.
The report also found that increasing biofuels use in the energy mix as “an environmentally sound” solution posed a conflict because biofuels require fossil fuels for their production.
“Advanced second generation biofuels may have an important role in the future, but these technologies are some years away.” said Tim Yeo, chairman of EAC. “The government should support their development by creating a stable investment climate out to 2020.”
By April, the UK wants 2.5% of gasoline and diesel to be drawn from biofuels—rising to 5% by 2010. The EU wants to raise this to 10% by 2020. Presently, biofuels account for 1% of transport fuel in the UK.
BP PLC, DuPont, and Associated British Foods have proposed the construction of a 420 million l./year bioethanol plant using wheat as feedstock at Saltend, Hull, UK. Operations are to begin late 2009.
The analysis is a dampener in the government’s approach to find alternate sources of energy as demand soars and greenhouse gases rise due to the burning of fossil fuels. The report follows recent similar criticisms from the European Commission’s scientific community, which has questioned the impact on the environment of producing crops for energy use.
As competition from overseas producers rises, however, any delay in supporting the fledgling industry could be damaging, critics said. The National Farmers Union stressed that biofuels represent the only renewable alternative for replacing fossil fuel in transport and tackling one quarter of the UK’s carbon emissions.
BP also has teamed with UK-based D1 Oils to launch a global joint venture to plant, over 4 years, 1 million hectares of jatropha curcas, an oilseed tree that grows in tropical and subtropical regions and produces inedible vegetable oil for biodiesel.