opinion

Leaked commission report burns
a hole in EU biofuels target
by Greenpeace International

Only days before the European Commission is due to release its climate and energy package, an internal EU report obtained by Greenpeace shows that the Commission is about to ignore its own recommendations on biofuels, raising serious concerns over sustainability issues and the contribution of biofuel targets to the fight against climate change.

The report, which was circulated inside the Commission late last year but has not been published so far, notes that the decision to target emission reductions by establishing a minimum 10 percent of biofuels in transport reduces the benefits which could be achieved by using biomass in other sectors and with the same financial resources. “Biomass saves much more fossil fuel and GHG [greenhouse gas] emissions in other sectors,” reads the study.

“This report burns a hole in the EU biofuels target. It shows that the 10 percent target for biofuels in transport could even undermine the overall EU target for renewable energy, since it forces the use of biomass in an inefficient way,” said Frauke Thies, Greenpeace EU energy policy campaigner for renewable energies. “There is a much better use of biomass in the electricity and heating sectors and Greenpeace therefore demands that the 10 percent transport target be dropped.”

The leaked report also highlights the financial cost that the indiscriminate use of biofuels could have. “Biomass and money are limited resources in the EU. They should be directed to where they give the greatest impact,” says the report.

Greenpeace also warns that the legislation which is due to be published next week will not contain strict enough sustainability guarantees for biofuels. EU Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas admitted in a BBC interview broadcast on Monday that the Commission did not foresee problems raised by biofuel sustainability. “We have seen that the environmental problems caused by biofuels and also the social problems are bigger than we thought they were," Commissioner Dimas told the BBC. The Commission report adds to the growing evidence indicating that the 10 percent biofuel target can not be reached in a sustainable way.

“We need strict sustainability criteria to be put in place for all uses of biomass and biofuels, guaranteeing significant greenhouse gas reductions and preventing damage to the environment. Greenpeace also demands that the Commission’s proposal ensure that only plant-derived fuel achieving at least a 60 percent reduction in emissions, when compared to conventional fuels, is allowed on the EU market,” said Frauke Thies.

There is growing evidence showing that the use and production of biofuels barely reduce emissions at all. They can instead encourage deforestation and increases in food prices, while seriously damaging natural ecosystems and leading to loss of biodiversity.