Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'worse than nonrenewable fuel sources'
The UK's "irrational" use of biofuels will cost drivers around ₤ 460 million over the next 12 months, a think tank states.
A report by Chatham House, external states the growing dependence on sustainable liquid fuels will also increase food costs.
The author states that biodiesel made from grease was even worse for the climate than fossil fuels.
Under EU law, external, biofuels are set to make up 5% of the UK's transport fuel from today.
Since 2008, the UK has needed fuel suppliers to include a growing percentage of sustainable materials into the fuel and diesel they provide. These biofuels are mainly ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, utilized cooking oil and tallow.
Deep fried fuel
But research study performed for Chatham House states that reaching the 5% level means that UK drivers will have to pay an additional ₤ 460m a year since of the greater cost of fuel at the pump and from filling up more often as biofuels have a lower energy content.
The report say that if the UK is to satisfy its commitments to EU energy targets the expense to drivers is likely to rise to ₤ 1.3 bn per annum by 2020.
"It is tough to find any good news," Rob Bailey, senior research fellow at Chatham House, told BBC News.
"Biofuels increase costs and they are a really pricey way to reduce carbon emissions," he said.
The EU biofuel mandates are likewise having extremely distorting impacts in the marketplace. Because used is considered among the most sustainable kinds of biodiesel, the rate for it has actually risen rapidly. Rob Bailey says that towards completion of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.
"It creates a financial incentive to buy refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into utilized cooking oil and after that sell it at revenue,"
"It is crazy but the incentives exist."
There are likewise stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in particular is creating more climate problems than it fixes. The more fuel of this type that is put into vehicles the bigger the deficit produced in the edible oils market. This had caused increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, typically produced on deforested land.
"Once you consider these indirect effects, biofuels made from veggie oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would get from using 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 technique."
Biofuel advantages
The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external throughout the EU, said it knew the issues brought on by the required. But it believes that biofuels have lots of positives.
"Blaming biofuels for all the difficulties in the world is a bit too exaggerated," stated Isabelle Maurizi, project manager at the EBB.
"It has actually brought lots of advantages. It has actually improved the security of our diesel
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Biofuels: 'Irrational' and 'even Worse than Fossil Fuels'
Denese Eastwood edited this page 1 week ago