EU set bar ‘too high’ on advanced biofuels
The EU needs a more realistic target for advanced biofuels in transport, green campaigners have warned, saying proper sustainability criteria should be introduced to avoid the “mistakes of the past” when biofuels attracted criticism for causing deforestation and environmental degradation in the developing world.
“The target of 3.6% for advanced biofuels, proposed by the European Commission and supported by the European Parliament, is too high to be reached sustainably,” said Laura Buffet, an expert in oil and biofuels at Transport and Environment (T&E), a green campaign group.
“What is needed is a lower, more realistic target, a modified list of eligible advanced feedstocks and a tailored sustainability framework,” she told EURACTIV.com.
“For example, in the case of forest and agricultural residues, we should leave enough of it on the ground to avoid negative impacts on the soil and biodiversity. In the case of waste, it is crucial to respect the waste hierarchy,” she explained.
As part of the Renewable Energy Directive review (RED II), the European Commission proposed a gradual phase-out of crop-based biofuels, which should be replaced by “more advanced biofuels” that do not compete with food crops.
For 2030, the EU executive proposed reducing the contribution of conventional biofuels in transport from a maximum of 7% in 2021 to 3.8% in 2030. It also set an obligation to raise the share of other “low emissions fuels” such as renewable electricity and advanced biofuels in transport to 6.8%.
The European Commission’s proposal defines advanced biofuels as those that are “produced from feedstocks listed in part A of Annex IX”. The executive believes that advanced biofuels have a lower environmental impact compared to crop-based biofuels and reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
