Well, perhaps I exaggerate a little.

All the same, the EU have come out with a remarkably fast u-turn on the issue of compulsory use of biofuels in all forecourt fuels, following widespread criticism of this issue. The EU’s target of 10% biofuels in all vehicle fuel by 2020 now looks likely to be changed, or at least have significant conditions attached to it.

The argument is that while biofuels themselves may have low emissions, the growth of the crops they are made from can often result in biofuels having a higher carbon footprint than the mineral oil-based fuels they are supposed to replace. Biofuels have also been widely criticised for causing food production to be sacrificed for biofuel crops, contributing to rising food prices globally.

The European Environment Agency has now ordered a “new, comprehensive scientific study on the environmental risks and benefits of biofuels” following the publication of a report by leading climate scientists which calls for the suspension of the 10% biofuels policy.

The report states that “the over-ambitious 10% biofuels target is an experiment whose unintended effects are difficult to predict and difficult to control.” Germany has already announced that it will be toning down its biofuel policies but it is the only EU state to have done so to date.

What’s This About Coal?

In the same week that the EU’s biofuel targets started to look in doubt, the European Parliament has requested a €60m annual research fund to investigate ways of producing low-emission motor fuels, such as hydrogen, from coal.

The project is part of a wider initiative to develop ‘greener’ uses for coal.