Well we all knew they were batty but now they themselves are saying so!
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FINANCIAL TIMES 15.4.09
Doubts cast on biofuel benefits
By Fiona Harvey, Environment Correspondent
The push to use biofuels in place of petrol has done little to aid
the development of the UK's biofuel industry and may have produced
more greenhouse gas than it has saved, according to a report
published today.
British biofuels are generally regarded as more environmentally sound
than imports. According to the Renewable Energy Association, they
produce a greenhouse gas saving of 71 per cent, against 46 per cent
for imports. Yet only 8 per cent of the biofuel - fuel derived from
plants - used in the UK comes from British sources, according to the
REA.
The government's Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation [RTFO] came
into force exactly a year ago and was meant to spur the development
of a British biofuels industry by ensuring 2.5 per cent of transport
fuels this year came from plants or waste products.
But heavy use of imports has overtaken the UK's fledgling biofuels
sector, with several domestic companies running into trouble.
The point is reinforced by today's report from Friends of the Earth,
which finds the UK's use of biofuels may have increased emissions
from road transport because growing crops for fuel means extra land
must grow food. Often in tropical countries this land is forest and
cutting it down results in a loss of the planet's ability to absorb
carbon.
According to Friends of the Earth, the RTFO has probably caused about
1.3m tonnes of extra carbon dioxide emissions.
The Department of Transport said: "Whilst there is no case for
pushing forward indiscriminately on [biofuels] that may do more harm
than good, it would be foolish to ignore any potential they do have."
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