Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
This shows that legally non-binding targets, such as the biofuels targets,
will be dii cult to meet despite favourable policies and economic incen-
tives - the reason why the Council's biofuels progress report calls for a
legislative framework to make such targets legally binding (European
Commission, 2007b). Furthermore, the EU is proposing legislation
to force vehicle manufacturers to make technological improvement in
vehicles to reduce emissions.
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There is clear evidence of environmental benei ts from using biofuels
generally, and biodiesel particularly, when reductions in greenhouse gas
emissions by vehicles running on biodiesel are considered. However, the
benei ts are not so clear-cut when the environmental impacts of biofuels
production are accounted for, especially production of biofuel feedstocks
such as palm, soybean, rapeseed, sugarcane and corn - mainly in the
tropics. In its policy documents, such as the Biomass Action Plan, and
the Strategy for Biofuels, the EU sets out policies for promoting biofuels
production in developing countries, setting guidelines for 'sustainable
production' and supply of such fuels, and appropriate incentives, such
as guaranteed investments, for such 'good practices'. However, it is not
guaranteed that producer countries will follow the EU guidelines, when
they are faced with growing demands for fuels from the rapidly indus-
trializing countries such as China and India. Indeed, lack of stringent
environmental policies and/or lack of enforcement of environmental
policies in place has been blamed for the growing loss of tropical rain-
forest in Malaysia and Indonesia to make way for palm oil plantations.
Recent years have seen a massive growth in such plantations mainly
to meet the demands for oil, so far mainly for the food industry, from
China. However, countries like China will have to rely more and more on
alternative fuel sources in the future to meet their insatiable demand for
energy, which would mean more pressure on the production of biofuels
among other sources of energy. This will no doubt increase pressure on
land use, especially in the tropics where most of the biofuels feedstocks
come from.
Certii cation schemes, which will guarantee that the biofuels produced
in any country, especially in the developing countries, are produced in an
environmentally sustainable way, are seen as a possible solution to concern
about potential tropical deforestation and habitat destruction during the
production of such fuels (European Commission, 2005). Restrictions on
the imports of biofuels and biofuel feedstocks to the EU based on such
certii cation schemes could encourage producers to produce biofuels in an
environmentally sustainable way; however, implementing such a scheme
is not without problems. International trade agreements and WTO rules
require that such certii cation schemes be non-discriminatory between
