Change in policy on biofuels

The European Commission introduced a significant shift in biofuel policy in the new directive proposal published on 17 October, as it limits crop-based biofuels to five per cent of transport fuel, following concerns over the effect on food crops.

The change means that fuel suppliers will not, as originally planned, be held accountable for the indirect emissions biofuels cause by displacing food production into new areas, resulting in forest clearance and peatland draining known in EU jargon as “indirect land use change” (ILUC).

As a result, fuel suppliers will be able to continue blending biodiesel made from rapeseed, palm oil and soybeans into their fuels and claiming credit for cutting emissions, despite EU scientific studies showing that overall greenhouse gas emissions from biodiesel may be higher than from fossil fuel. “With this proposal, European citizens will have no guarantee that the biofuels they put in their cars are actually better for the climate,” said Nusa Urbancic, fuels campaigner with green transport campaigners T&E.

EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard and Energy Commissioner Günther Oettinger confirmed in a joint statement that they wanted to cap the use of crop-based fuel. The proposal limits food crop-based biofuel to the current consumption level of five per cent up to 2020 while the target to raise the share of renewable fuel in the transport mix to ten per cent by 2020 remains.

Sources: AECC Newsletter, September-October 2012 and PlanetArk, 17 October 2012.

The directive proposal is at: http://ec.europa.eu/clima/policies/transport/fuel/docs/com_2012_595_en.pdf

In this issue

The costs of climate change

Climate change already causes about 400,000 deaths per year and a 1 per cent loss of global GDP. By 2030 human and monetary losses may double.

Editorial: Difficult is not a strong enough reason to passively accept

Agriculture is the foundation of food production in a world that is facing the challenge of feeding nine billion people by 2050. However the agricultural sector is also responsible for significant emissions of the major greenhouse gases ..

Tighter standards for PM proposed in the US

Strengthening the annual fine particle pollution standard will improve health protection and provide benefits worth billions of dollars.

Is air quality in Europe getting any better?

In 2010, 90–95 per cent of the EU’s urban citizens were exposed to PM_2.5 levels higher than the reference values recommended by the World Health Organization.

Climate change evident in Europe

Further impacts of climate change in Europe are expected in the future, potentially causing high damage costs.

Great potential for changing behaviour

With a policy package that motivates citizens to take up a more healthy diet, replace their fossil fuel cars with electric cars and decrease room temperature, emissions in the EU could be reduced by about a quarter of the projections for the non-ETS sector by 2020.

EU greenhouse gases fell by 2.5 per cent in 2011

A mild winter in 2011 and high prices for oil and gas have, despite an increase in the use of coal and lignite, put European Union greenhouse gas emissions back on a downward track.

The Climate Bonus

Cleaner air, better health and a more efficient economy are some of the many co-benefits that we will get from investing in climate mitigation, writes Alison Smith, author of a newly published book: “The Climate Bonus”.

Air pollution burden still too high, despite improvements

To adequately protect health and the environment, air pollutant emissions need to be further reduced, according to a new study by the European Environment Agency.

Cleaner fuels will dominate in 2020

The preferred emission control options for ships trading in emission control areas (ECAs) after 2015 will be low-sulphur distillate fuel oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), according to a study by DNV.

Increased Arctic shipping threatens the environment

Unless action is taken, the increase in shipping and other human activities in the sensitive Arctic ecosystem is likely to cause irreversible damage.

Main menu

Change in policy on biofuels

In this issue

The costs of climate change

Editorial: Difficult is not a strong enough reason to passively accept

Tighter standards for PM proposed in the US

Is air quality in Europe getting any better?

Climate change evident in Europe

Great potential for changing behaviour

EU greenhouse gases fell by 2.5 per cent in 2011

The Climate Bonus

Air pollution burden still too high, despite improvements

Cleaner fuels will dominate in 2020

Increased Arctic shipping threatens the environment

Publications

Food for Thought

Northern forests, climate change and the UNFCCC

EU climate targets aligned with the Paris agreement’s 1.5°C objective

Baltic Sea Offshore Wind Collaborative-Learning project

Air pollution in Europe and children’s health

Climate Change: A Himalayan Odessey

No further discussion needed. The agreed global goal is to limit temperature rise to 1.5°C

Fossil-free electricity 2021

What we do

Air pollution

Climate Change

Policy initiatives

Do Your Bit!