Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'worse than fossil fuels'
The UK's "illogical" usage of biofuels will cost drivers around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank says.
A report by Chatham House, external says the growing reliance on sustainable liquid fuels will likewise increase food costs.
The author says that biodiesel made from grease was worse for the climate than nonrenewable fuel sources.
Under EU law, external, biofuels are set to comprise 5% of the fuel from today.
Since 2008, the UK has required fuel providers to include a growing percentage of sustainable materials 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 brought out for Chatham House says that reaching the 5% level indicates that UK motorists will need to pay an extra ₤ 460m a year due to the fact that of the greater cost of fuel at the pump and from filling more typically as biofuels have a lower energy content.
The report state that if the UK is to meet its commitments to EU energy targets the cost to drivers is likely to increase to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.
"It is tough to find any great news," Rob Bailey, senior research study fellow at Chatham House, told BBC News.
"Biofuels increase costs and they are an extremely costly way to reduce carbon emissions," he stated.
The EU biofuel requireds are also having hugely distorting impacts in the market. Because utilized cooking oil is regarded as among the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the price for it has risen quickly. Rob Bailey says that towards the end of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.
"It creates a financial reward to buy refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into used cooking oil and then offer it at profit,"
"It is insane but the incentives exist."
There are likewise stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in particular is developing more environment issues than it fixes. The more fuel of this type that is taken into automobiles the bigger the deficit created in the edible oils market. This had actually resulted in increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, often produced on deforested land.
"Once you take into account these indirect impacts, biofuels made from veggie oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would receive from utilizing diesel in the first location," stated Rob Bailey.
"Plus you are asking vehicle drivers to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is a completely irrational method."
Biofuel benefits
The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external across the EU, said it was aware of the problems caused by the required. But it believes that biofuels have many positives.
"Blaming biofuels for all the troubles on the planet is a bit too overstated," stated Isabelle Maurizi, job supervisor at the EBB.
"It has brought lots of benefits. It has improved the security of our diesel
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Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'even Worse than Fossil Fuels'
Julio Samons edited this page 10 months ago