EU receives criticism and praise for biofuels proposal

A draft European Union law that aims to establish how the region will meet its target of obtaining 10% of transport fuel from renewable sources has been met with a mix of criticism and praise, a result of the intense debate about the future role of bioenergy.

The Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency (MNP), an independent body that works for the Dutch government and international bodies such as the UN and the World Bank, told the EU it should reconsider imposing the target, saying the directive proposal may have “important negative impacts”.

The MNP said a 10% goal target for 2020 and Europe’s draft sustainability criteria cannot prevent important negative impacts on greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and global biodiversity. Its study, “Local and global consequences of the EU renewable directive for biofuels”, was presented to the European Parliament in March.

Overall, the Dutch assessment agency said the climate had more to gain from converting biomass into electricity rather than use it to substitute petrol or diesel. Growth in biofuel use will put extra pressure on land use, biodiversity and food security while GHG savings may be compromised by increased consumption of fertilizers, the MNP said.

The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), a trade association whose members account for about 80% of the continent’s biodiesel output, welcomed the directive proposal but called on the EU to reduce its proposed minimum level of GHG savings from biofuels, saying that it risks excluding technologies that would help the region meet its 2020 blending target.

The EBB stressed that, in the absence of a neutral, scientific consensus on assessing the GHG performances of biofuels, the cut-off value should be reduced to 30% from the proposed level of 35%. It also suggested the setting up of intermediate, binding targets for biofuels (7% by 2012 and of 8.5% by 2015) to avert the difficulty of implementing such long-term goals.

The Biomass Technology Group (BTG), a Dutch consultancy and research firm, suggested in a report commissioned by the EU that introducing obligatory, minimum sustainability criteria would be a good first step towards sustainable use of biomass, with the market likely to develop certification systems and even additional, voluntary criteria.

Download the MNP’s report.
Download the full text of the EBB position paper.
The full report and BTG’s presentation are available on the company’s website.

 

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