EU biofuel targets will be met in a sustainable way
FERRAN TARRADELLAS, SPOKESPERSON FOR ENERGY IN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION
18.02.2008 @ 17:29 CET
Dear Madam/Sir,
The European Commission is well aware that the growth of agriculture in developing countries can have a wide range of negative social consequences. But it is misleading to see biofuels as the main cause of the problems described in the article. The rapid growth of palm oil has been driven by the food and industrial sectors and will continue to be driven by them. In 2006, only 0.7% of global palm oil production was used for biofuels.
The assumption that the commission ten per cent biofuel target will fuel a huge expansion in the amount of land used to grow oil palm is not supported by figures. Even if a significant part of other energy crops, like rapeseed, has been used for biodiesel during the past couple of years, the increase in demand for food purposes has been covered by an increasing efficiency in food production and by imported rapeseed.
If substitution with palm oil has happened, this is not visible in the statistics which show that palm oil imports have been stable or rather decreasing, particularly in 2007, when the ten percent target was first proposed by the commission and endorsed by the member states.
EU targets for renewable energy in transport will indeed increase the demand for biofuels, but the directive makes clear that this demand should be met in a sustainable way.
Although the directive does not include specific criteria on social issues, they are not ignored. The commission will monitor the impact of the policy on food security and on wider development issues, reporting every two years. Your article focuses on the social damage caused by deforestation. The directive contains substantial measures to discourage deforestation for the production of biofuels, and to encourage the use of 'idle lands' for instance to be reforested.
As well as potential negative effects, it is important to be aware of the potential positive effects of biofuel promotion, in terms of economic growth and employment opportunities for people living on low incomes in rural areas. Some 70 percent of the world's poorest people live in rural areas in developing countries. I would therefore urge a more balanced approach to the question of the social impact of biofuels.
Yours truly,
Ferran Tarradellas
Spokesperson for Energy in the European Commission