Biofuels: Irrational And Worse Than Fossil Fuels

Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'even worse than fossil fuels'


The UK's "illogical" usage of biofuels will cost vehicle drivers around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank states.


A report by Chatham House, external says the growing dependence on sustainable liquid fuels will also increase food costs.


The author states that biodiesel made from veggie oil was even worse for the climate than fossil fuels.


Under EU law, external, biofuels are set to comprise 5% of the UK's transportation fuel from today.


Since 2008, the UK has needed fuel suppliers to include a growing percentage of sustainable products into the petrol and diesel they provide. These biofuels are primarily ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, utilized cooking oil and tallow.


Deep fried fuel


But research study brought out for Chatham House says that reaching the 5% level indicates that UK drivers will have to pay an additional ₤ 460m a year because of the greater cost of fuel at the pump and from filling up regularly as biofuels have a lower energy material.


The report state that if the UK is to fulfill its obligations to EU energy targets the cost to drivers is likely to increase to ₤ 1.3 bn per year by 2020.


"It is difficult to discover any good news," Rob Bailey, senior research fellow at Chatham House, told BBC News.


"Biofuels increase expenses and they are a very pricey way to minimize carbon emissions," he said.


The EU biofuel mandates are likewise having extremely distorting impacts in the market. Because used cooking oil is considered among the most sustainable kinds of biodiesel, the cost for it has actually risen quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards completion of 2012 it was more expensive than refined palm oil.


"It develops a financial incentive to buy refined palm oil, prepare a chip in it to turn it into utilized cooking oil and after that sell it at profit,"


"It is insane however the incentives are there."


There are also frets that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in is producing more climate problems than it resolves. The more fuel of this type that is taken into cars and trucks the bigger the deficit produced in the edible oils market. This had actually caused increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, frequently produced on deforested land.


"Once you consider these indirect results, biofuels made from vegetable oils actually result worldwide in more emissions than you would receive from using diesel in the first location," said Rob Bailey.


"Plus you are asking vehicle drivers to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is an entirely illogical technique."


Biofuel advantages


The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external throughout the EU, said it was mindful of the issues caused by the required. But it believes that biofuels have many positives.


"Blaming biofuels for all the difficulties in the world is a bit too overstated," said Isabelle Maurizi, job supervisor at the EBB.


"It has brought lots of benefits. It has actually enhanced the security of our diesel; it has lowered EU dependence 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 hits the 5% of liquid fuels mark, the federal government faces some hard decisions on how to progress on this problem as it faces tripling the expenses for drivers by 2020.


Insiders recommend its preference would be to try and get arrangement in Brussels on the impacts of indirect costs which may constrain what counts as biofuel. However getting arrangement from nations with powerful agricultural sectors who benefit from the current plan will be challenging.


"When you have a lobby that includes the farming sector and the oil sector it is very hard for Governments to make a U-turn," stated Rob Bailey.


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