Tuesday

19th Mar 2024

Letter

EU biofuels policy is false solution to climate problems

  • European biofuels policy jeopardises food security, particularly in developing countries, say a group of Dutch scientists in an open letter (Photo: European Commission)

We, the undersigned, wish to express our sincere worries about the European biofuel policy.

In this letter we urgently implore the new Dutch cabinet to acknowledge that admixture of food crops into fuel causes severe damage to climate, nature and communities. The European admixture policy is a false solution to climate problems. We therefore call upon you to plead that biofuels from food crops have no place in the European 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Get the EU news that really matters

Instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

Recent research – carried out under assignment of the European Commission – points out that admixture leads to increased greenhouse gas emissions. Biodiesel from food crops on average emits 1.8 times as much CO2 as fossil fuels and this number increases to three times more in case of biodiesel from palm oil.

Moreover, European admixture policy leads to an increased demand for vegetable oils from food crops and therefore also to increasing demand for agricultural soil for these crops.

To meet this demand, vulnerable ecosystems like tropical forests, wetlands and grasslands are being converted to vast monocultures. This leads to biodiversity losses and increased vulnerability to droughts, floods, land degradation, surface water pollution, blurring of coastal waters and degradation of coral reefs, and also contributes to local climate-extremes.

In addition, increasing demand for biofuel crops leads to increased food prices.

Local food production is threatened as small-scale agriculture disappears and local farmers lose their autonomy, whilst becoming dependent on multi-billion dollar companies and unstable markets.

This jeopardises food security, particularly in developing countries. This has the worst effect on the poorest inhabitants of affected areas.

Above all, biofuel plantations expand without the required free prior informed consent from local people. European admixture policies presently fund land theft, corruption and intimidation, contributing to social conflicts, poverty and inequality in producing countries.

In short, admixture of fuel crop oil relies on the unfounded assumption that this leads to more sustainable fuel use, but in reality causes ecological and social degradation. The policy serves as a veil that obscures the risks involved in fossil fuels while offering no more than a false solution for our energy requirements.

The admixture policy therefore does not meet the sustainability requirements that the EU poses for itself, like reduction of greenhouse gas emissions or protection of biodiversity, wetlands, carbon stocks, soil, water and social sustainability.

A realistic energy policy requires energy savings and truly renewable energy.

We therefore call upon you to:

- acknowledge that the European admixture policy causes climatic, natural and social damage.

- see to it that food crops will no longer be used for biofuels in Europe and to establish this into the European 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development.

The full list of signatories is available on brandstofbrief.nl

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

MEPs approve plan to put cap on older biofuels

The European Parliament's environment committee Tuesday approved a plan to try and steer investors away from traditional types of biofuels that have had negative side-effects on food prices, environment and climate change.

MEPs agree cap on crop-based biofuels

The EU parliament has capped the amount of crop-based biofuels that can be used to reach EU energy targets amid environmental fears.

Dear EU, the science is clear: burning wood for energy is bad

The EU and the bioenergy industry claim trees cut for energy will regrow, eventually removing extra CO2 from the atmosphere. But regrowth is not certain, and takes time, decades or longer. In the meantime, burning wood makes climate change worse.

Magazine

A sustainable death wish

No one can escape death. But choices over how one's body is disposed of could either lessen or increase your carbon footprint.

Latest News

  1. Borrell: 'Israel provoking famine', urges more aid access
  2. Europol: Israel-Gaza galvanising Jihadist recruitment in Europe
  3. EU to agree Israeli-settler blacklist, Borrell says
  4. EU ministers keen to use Russian profits for Ukraine ammo
  5. Call to change EIB defence spending rules hits scepticism
  6. Potential legal avenues to prosecute Navalny's killers
  7. EU summit, Gaza, Ukraine, reforms in focus this WEEK
  8. The present and future dystopia of political micro-targeting ads

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Nordic Council of MinistersJoin the Nordic Food Systems Takeover at COP28
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersHow women and men are affected differently by climate policy
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersArtist Jessie Kleemann at Nordic pavilion during UN climate summit COP28
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCOP28: Gathering Nordic and global experts to put food and health on the agenda
  5. Friedrich Naumann FoundationPoems of Liberty – Call for Submission “Human Rights in Inhume War”: 250€ honorary fee for selected poems
  6. World BankWorld Bank report: How to create a future where the rewards of technology benefit all levels of society?

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsThis autumn Europalia arts festival is all about GEORGIA!
  2. UNOPSFostering health system resilience in fragile and conflict-affected countries
  3. European Citizen's InitiativeThe European Commission launches the ‘ImagineEU’ competition for secondary school students in the EU.
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersThe Nordic Region is stepping up its efforts to reduce food waste
  5. UNOPSUNOPS begins works under EU-funded project to repair schools in Ukraine
  6. Georgia Ministry of Foreign AffairsGeorgia effectively prevents sanctions evasion against Russia – confirm EU, UK, USA

Join EUobserver

EU news that matters

Join us