Tag: biofuels

The European Commission’s proposal to amend the Renewable Energy Directive should be welcomed as a first step towards the elimination of the adverse impact of biofuels. But more incisive action is badly needed in the future, writes Enrico Partiti.

Europe risks losing out to the United States in the growing market for advanced biofuels without better regulation and clear policy signals, say leading members of the industry.

Representatives of Europe’s biofuels industry have threatened to sue the European Commission if it proceeds with plans to limit crop-based biofuels because of their indirect effect on greenhouse gas emissions.

A French plan to fight food price volatility took further shape yesterday (12 September) with a call to pause global development of biofuels, just a day after President François Hollande pushed for creation of strategic food stocks.

The growing row over biofuels is ready to flare up again with German researchers claiming to have found evidence that European-produced biodiesel does not meet the sustainability targets claimed by Brussels.

German researchers have unveiled evidence suggesting that EU claims, according to which locally-produced rapeseed biodiesel cut back at least 38% of greenhouse gases (GHG) compared with fossil fuels,  are unfounded.

The aviation industry has little choice but to turn to biofuels to help meet its commitments to reducing carbon emissions in the decades ahead, argues Alan H. Epstein, an engineer who is vice president for technology and environment at Pratt & Whitney.

Biofuels will be the biggest contributor to the EU’s target of providing 10% of transport fuel from renewable energy by 2020, but consumers at the petrol pump could be forgiven for feeling confused about their environmental benefits.

An extraordinary ‘orientation meeting’ between the European Union's 27 commissioners has instructed the EU executive's energy and climate departments to sit down and jointly draft a legal proposal addressing indirect land use changes (ILUC) caused by the biofuels industry.

Conventional biofuels like biodiesel increase carbon dioxide emissions and are too expensive to consider as a long-term alternative fuel, a draft EU report says.

The EU should bin incentives for road-transport biodiesel or provide equal ones for the production of biokerosene used in airplanes, a senior Airbus executive has told EurActiv.

EU Climate Commissioner Connie Hedegaard says global development challenges cannot be met if the world's economic powers do not rethink their growth model. In an exclusive interview with EurActiv, she also addresses controversial policies on emission charges for airlines and rejects calls for a price floor to sustain Europe's depressed carbon market.

When the European Commission began pressing for a dramatic expansion in the use of biofuels in transport and energy several years ago, it was seen as a win-win situation: a way to help farmers, create energy security, cut greenhouse emissions and improve air quality. But even that last claim is no longer taken for granted.

The reported killing of 23 Honduran farmers in a dispute with the owners of UN-accredited palm oil plantations in Honduras is forcing the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) executive board to reconsider its stakeholder consultation processes.

A fresh row has erupted in Brussels over the environmental benefits of biofuels, with academics and EU officials at loggerhead over how to account for CO2 savings in the product's life cycle.

European airlines, biofuel producers and the European Commission signed up yesterday (22 June) to producing two million tonnes of biofuel for aviation by 2020 even as debate rages over how green such fuels actually are. 

More oil and gas drilling, biofuels, the abandonment of climate change ambitions and perhaps more fuel-efficient vehicles: this is the United States' recipe for energy in the next decade, writes Eberhard Rhein in a post on Blogactiv.

The use of biofuels to power half of the US Air Force (USAF)'s fleet by 2016 is a step closer after the successful test flight of an F-22 fighter jet at supersonic speeds, using a 50-50 blend of a bio-feedstock and standard jet fuel.

The world faces a severe food security crisis as a result of climate change, soil erosion and population growth. Food security is a much greater threat to national security than armed aggression, Lester Brown told EurActiv in this exclusive interview on the fringes of the 'Forum for the Future of Agriculture'.

For US plane manufacturer Boeing, biofuels will be key to achieving the airline's pledges on carbon-neutral growth. "Without biofuels we cannot get there. It is a vital contribution," said Antonio De Palmas, Boeing's president for EU and NATO relations, in an interview with EurActiv.

Berlin's attempts to implement an EU law requiring a 10% share of biofuels to be used in transport by 2020 have hit a wall as a majority of German drivers are avoiding the new E10 biofuel standard over fears it could damage car engines. A special summit is taking place today to address the issue.

The European Union's executive said on Wednesday (22 December) it was looking at further measures to tackle the unwanted side-effects of biofuels production, which compromise the fuels' green credentials.

Facilitating access to renewable feedstocks will be a test of how serious Europe is in promoting the bio-based economy, according to Nathalie Moll, secretary-general of EuropaBio. The EU biotech industry chief spoke to EurActiv in an interview.

European companies are taking up the challenge of developing a bio-based economy that could reduce dependence on imported oil, but further political commitment and support will be required to keep up with the US, they say.