Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'even Worse than Nonrenewable Fuel Source'
Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'worse than fossil fuels'
The UK's "unreasonable" use of biofuels will cost vehicle drivers around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank says.
A report by Chatham House, external says the growing dependence on sustainable liquid fuels will likewise increase food rates.
The author says that biodiesel made from vegetable oil was even worse for the environment than fossil fuels.
Under EU law, external, biofuels are set to make up 5% of the fuel from today.
Since 2008, the UK has actually needed fuel suppliers to include a growing percentage of sustainable materials into the fuel and diesel they provide. These biofuels are primarily ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, used cooking oil and tallow.
Deep fried fuel
But research performed for Chatham House says that reaching the 5% level implies that UK vehicle drivers will have to pay an additional ₤ 460m a year since of the greater cost of fuel at the pump and from filling up more frequently as biofuels have a lower energy content.
The report say that if the UK is to satisfy its obligations to EU energy targets the cost to vehicle drivers is likely to increase to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.
"It is hard to discover any great news," Rob Bailey, senior research fellow at Chatham House, informed BBC News.
"Biofuels increase expenses and they are a very costly way to lower carbon emissions," he said.
The EU biofuel mandates are likewise having hugely distorting results in the market. Because utilized cooking oil is considered as one of the most sustainable kinds of biodiesel, the price for it has actually increased rapidly. Rob Bailey states that towards the end of 2012 it was more expensive than refined palm oil.
"It produces a monetary incentive to purchase refined palm oil, prepare a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and after that sell it at earnings,"
"It is insane but the incentives are there."
There are likewise frets that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in particular is creating more environment problems than it solves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars the bigger the deficit created in the edible oils market. This had actually lead to increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, frequently produced on deforested land.
"Once you take into account these indirect results, biofuels made from veggie oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would receive from using diesel in the first location," stated Rob Bailey.
"Plus you are asking motorists to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is a completely illogical strategy."
Biofuel benefits
The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external across the EU, stated it was aware of the issues brought on by the required. But it believes that biofuels have numerous positives.
"Blaming biofuels for all the troubles on the planet is a bit too overstated," said Isabelle Maurizi, project supervisor at the EBB.
"It has brought great deals of advantages. It has actually enhanced the security of our diesel; it has actually decreased EU reliance on animal feed imports, thanks to the rapeseed we grow for biodiesel."
"If there was no biodiesel farmers would simply make their land idle - no food, no feed!"
As the UK strikes the 5% of liquid fuels mark, the government deals with some challenging choices on how to progress on this problem as it deals with tripling the costs for drivers by 2020.
Insiders recommend its choice would be to try and get contract in Brussels on the impacts of indirect costs which may constrain what counts as biofuel. However getting agreement from countries with effective agricultural sectors who benefit from the current arrangement will be tough.
"When you have a lobby which includes the agricultural sector and the oil sector it is extremely hard for Governments to make a U-turn," said Rob Bailey.
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