Doubts cast on biofuel benefits

By Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent
Published: April 15 2009 01:55

The push to use biofuels in place of petrol has done little to aid the development of the UK’s biofuel industry and may have produced more greenhouse gas than it has saved, according to a report published on Wednesday.
British biofuels are generally regarded as more environmentally sound than imports. According to the Renewable Energy Association, they produce a greenhouse gas saving of 71 per cent, against 46 per cent for imports. Yet only 8 per cent of the biofuel – fuel derived from plants – used in the UK comes from British sources, according to the REA.

The government’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation came into force exactly a year ago and was meant to spur the development of a British biofuels industry by ensuring 2.5 per cent of transport fuels this year came from plants or waste products.
But heavy use of imports has overtaken the UK’s fledgling biofuels sector, with several domestic companies running into trouble.
The point is reinforced by Wednesday’s report from Friends of the Earth, which also finds the UK’s use of biofuels may have increased emissions from road transport because growing crops for fuel means extra land must be pressed into service to grow food. Often in tropical countries this land is forest and cutting it down results in a loss of the planet’s ability to absorb carbon.
According to Friends of the Earth, the RTFO has probably caused about 1.3m tonnes of extra carbon dioxide emissions.
Andy Atkins, executive director, said: “Trying to cut emissions by adding biofuels to petrol is like trying to cut down on beer by lacing your pints with vodka.”
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2009