According to Government regulations all petrol and diesel sold on British forecourts must now contain at least 2.5 per cent biofuel. In the eyes of those in power, this flagship policy will make our vehicles greener. However, is that really the case?
A group of campaigners protested across the country last week on the back of growing evidence that the push for biofuels is causing a food crisis in developing countries, and that the absence of any strict standards means rainforests and wildlife-rich savannahs are being destroyed in order to grow plants that will be used as fuel.
The Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) has come in for criticism from the RSPB, the conservation body, which has branded its introduction as ‘over-hasty’.
“The volume of biofuel that can be genuinely described as sustainable is at present very small indeed and is nowhere near enough to warrant the 2.5 per cent obligation,” commented Graham Wynne, chief executive of the RSPB.
Environmentalists believe that the carbon dioxide savings are far outweighed by the lost rainforest, the use of fertilisers, and the fuel used in conversion and transportation.
However, the Government has hit back by insisting that the RTFO puts the UK at the forefront of efforts to make the industry sustainable. It also insists that suppliers provide reports on where the green petrol and diesel comes from, along with the potential carbon savings.
In all, the Department of Transport estimates that 2.5million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be saved by 2010. Campaigners meanwhile are calling for a legally binding target that biofuels must save at least 60 per cent more carbon than they produce.
Regular motorists will notice no difference at the pumps as the biofuels, sourced from rapeseed, soya beans and palm oil, will be mixed in with regular fossil fuels.
Links: Petrol and diesel must contain 2.5 per cent biofuels
