Filed under: Biodiesel, Ethanol, Legislation and Policy, European Union

The EU might forbid imports of certain crops to produce biodiesel, namely palm oil and other imports from Latin America (soy). Lots of reports that have calculated how unsustainable most of these products are: because they destroy natural environments to create croplands, use fossil fuels in the machinery, or need to use fertilizers made from natural gas.

This, not being exactly "new" leads us to the second reason used by the EU to ban certain products related to biodiesel and ethanol: biofuel imports have made easier for certain exotic species to invade European shores, as Ladislav Miko (Director in the European Commission, DG Environment, Natural Resources Protection and Biodiversity, pictured here) said during a conference held in Madrid this week. Not a single example of an invasion, besides certain algae and a mussel invasion which has more to see with recreational sailing, are noted in our source, so take this with a pinch of salt.

Therefore the EU has come from a point where biofuels were considered the magical cure for global warming to an almost opposite one raising questions. As one of our readers once commented, these concerns seem to be focused on adding red tape for imports and favoring local production, which itself has less financial support from the government. But then the Ministers say that the EU needs to get 20 percent of its energy from renewable sources by 2020, so ...

[Source: Econoticias]

 

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