Biofuels: Irrational And Worse Than Fossil Fuels

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


The UK's "irrational" usage of biofuels will cost motorists 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 likewise increase food prices.


The author says 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 transportation fuel from today.


Since 2008, the UK has needed fuel suppliers to add a growing proportion of sustainable materials into the petrol and diesel they supply. These biofuels are mainly ethanol distilled from corn and biodiesel made from rapeseed, used cooking oil and tallow.


Deep fried fuel


But research performed for Chatham House states that reaching the 5% level suggests that UK vehicle drivers will need to pay an extra ₤ 460m a year because of the greater cost of fuel at the pump and from filling up more frequently as biofuels have a lower energy content.


The report state that if the UK is to satisfy its obligations to EU energy targets the expense to motorists is most likely to increase to ₤ 1.3 bn per year by 2020.


"It is hard to find any good news," Rob Bailey, senior research fellow at Chatham House, informed BBC News.


"Biofuels increase expenses and they are a really expensive way to decrease carbon emissions," he said.


The EU biofuel mandates are likewise having hugely distorting effects in the marketplace. Because used cooking oil is considered one of the most sustainable types of biodiesel, the rate for it has actually risen rapidly. Rob Bailey states that towards completion of 2012 it was more costly than refined palm oil.


"It produces a monetary reward to buy refined palm oil, cook a chip in it to turn it into utilized cooking oil and then offer it at revenue,"


"It is crazy however the rewards exist."


There are likewise stresses that taking EU land out of production to grow rapeseed oil in is developing more climate problems than it resolves. The more fuel of this type that is put into cars the bigger the deficit produced in the edible oils market. This had lead to increased imports of palm oil from Indonesia, frequently produced on deforested land.


"Once you consider these indirect results, biofuels made from veggie oils in fact result worldwide in more emissions than you would get from using diesel in the very first location," stated Rob Bailey.


"Plus you are asking drivers to pay more for the fuel - it makes no sense, it is a totally unreasonable strategy."


Biofuel advantages


The European Biodiesel Board (EBB), which represents the market, external across the EU, stated it understood the problems triggered by the required. But it thinks that biofuels have numerous positives.


"Blaming biofuels for all the problems on the planet is a bit too exaggerated," said Isabelle Maurizi, project supervisor at the EBB.


"It has actually brought lots of advantages. It has actually enhanced the security of our diesel; it has lowered EU dependency 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 government faces some tough decisions on how to progress on this problem as it deals with tripling the expenses for drivers by 2020.


Insiders suggest its preference would be to try and get agreement in Brussels on the effects of indirect expenses which might constrain what counts as biofuel. However getting arrangement from nations with effective agricultural sectors who take advantage of the present plan will be hard.


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


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