Responding to the publication today of the Environmental Audit Committee’s report Are biofuels sustainable?, Clare Wenner, Head of Transport Biofuels for the REA said:
“This is a very disappointing report given the amount of work done on environmental and social sustainability by the UK biofuel industry working with Government, the NGOs, academic life-cycle analysts and many others.
“All the issues raised by the Committee have been looked at extensively over the past 3 years. The consensus view is that the way the RTFO will work, both now and in the future is the right way to ensure that sustainable biofuels delivering real greenhouse gas savings are used in the UK.
“Much of what the Committee says relates to the need for international agreement. We fully agree - but this will take years to achieve. In the meantime the challenge of climate change becomes ever more pressing, especially in the transport sector where carbon emissions are still rising.
“We should take note of the warnings that have been given on biofuels and move forward to address the issues in a practical way. That is what we in the UK have done, and that is what we have asked the EU to do in the forthcoming Renewable Energy Directive. Doing nothing is simply not an option.”
