How does Europe measure the success of its environmental measures? Part of the answer lies in an important new tool developed by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre (JRC) to ensure that European biofuels and bioliquids meet top global standards. The methodology is in line with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recommendations for national greenhouse gas (GHG) inventories and is a key factor in Europe's overall sustainability scorecard. Adopted by the European Commission in June 2010, the system quantifies changes to carbon amounts in soils and biomass when land use changes as a result of biofuels production. It will also help authorities to determine if biofuels (both within the EU as well as those imported to the region) help to lower GHG emissions and come from sustainable sources.
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