Current UK and European policies on biofuels 'encourage unethical practices' says new report
Wed 13 April 2011
View all news
A report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics says that the European Renewable Energy Directive, amongst other policies to promote biofuels, is weak when it comes to protecting the environment, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and avoiding negative social impacts. The report, produced after an 18-month inquiry, says that policies also include few incentives for the development of new biofuel technologies that could help avoid these problems.
The report states that biofuels are one of the few renewable alternatives we have for transport fuels such as petrol and diesel, but current policies and targets that encourage their uptake have backfired badly,” said Professor Joyce Tait, who led the inquiry. “The rapid expansion of biofuels production in the developing world has led to problems such as deforestation and the displacement of indigenous people. We want a more sophisticated strategy that considers the wider consequences of biofuel production.”
“Researchers are developing new types of biofuels that need less land, produce fewer greenhouse gases and do not compete with food, but commercial-scale production is many years away,” said Professor Ottoline Leyser, one of the authors of the report. “The government should do more to encourage research into these more ethical types of biofuels.”
The Nuffield Council recommends that there should be a set of overarching ethical conditions for all biofuels produced in and imported into Europe, including:
1 Biofuels development should not be at the expense of human rights
2 Biofuels should be environmentally sustainable
3 Biofuels should contribute to a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions
4 Biofuels should adhere to fair trade principles
5 Costs and benefits of biofuels should be distributed in an equitable way
“These ethical conditions should be enforced through a certification scheme – a bit like the Fair Trade scheme for cocoa and coffee,” said Professor Tait. “This would create a market for environmentally sustainable and ‘human rights friendly’ biofuels.”
“We appreciate the difficulties in applying firm ethical principles in the real world, but existing biofuels policy is failing. We can set the standard in Europe and encourage the rest of the world to follow suit. This is a global problem that needs a global solution.”
Biofuels currently make up 3% of UK road transport fuel and this is expected to increase. Most of the UK’s biofuel comes from Argentina, Brazil and Europe. Last year, however, only a third met the environmental standards set by the UK’s Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO).
The RTFO includes carbon and sustainability reporting requirements which were developed by the LowCVP and which now enable UK policymakers and other observers to review and monitor the effectiveness of policy.
The Renewable Energy Association (REA) welcomed the Nuffield Council's report. The REA said that the report shows that biofuels can be produced ethically and make a strong contribution to environmental and social responsibility and combatting climate change so long as they are well-regulated.
Noting that this is a global issue, the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive gives an opportunity for the EU to set an example that other countries around the world can follow. Commenting on the report, Clare Wenner, the REA's Head of Renewable Transport, said: "As the report acknowledges, biofuels are one of the only renewable alternatives we have for transport fuels such as petrol and diesel. We must move away from our damaging dependence on fossil fuels.
"If in so doing, we can show the world that it is possible to move to an agricultural model that is genuinely sustainable and respects human rights, biofuels will have done a great service to the world. The longer we put this off, the more likely we are to move to ever more unsustainable and expensive production of fossil fuels."
Related Links
< Back to news list