ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS: STRONG SUSTAINABILITY CHECKS NEEDED FOR BIOFUELS

Environmental groups in Europe are concerned that measures to ensure the sustainability of biofuels will fail to do the job. Meanwhile, a panel established under the European Environment Agency has recommended that the EU hold off on its ten percent biofuels target.

After an EU Council working party document on sustainability criteria for biofuels was leaked, environmental groups BirdLife International, European Environmental Bureau (EEB), Friends of the Earth Europe (FOEE) and Greenpeace wrote to EU officials in early April expressing their concerns about the ability of EU to ensure the sustainable production and use of biofuels. The letter called on EU officials to "reject weak proposals [] and [to] ensure that adequate time [was] taken to reflect the latest scientific evidence [in order to] avoid exacerbating the current climate and ecological crises and to prevent detrimental human impacts."

The leaked document included proposed revisions to the sustainability requirements set forth by the European Commission in January 2008 as part of a broader directive to promote the use of renewable energy in the EU (see Bridges Trade BioRes, http://www.ictsd.org/biores/08-01-25/story1.htm, 25 January 2008). The environmental groups considered these revisions "cosmetic," and wanted, among other, stronger measures to ensure that real greenhouse gas reductions are achieved, as well as a full consideration of indirect land use change.

Adrian Bebb of FOEE said "these negotiations show that the EU is prepared to dress biofuels up as green when in fact they are instead causing widespread environmental damage and creating havoc for wildlife and people." Ariel Brunner of BirdLife International added, "it's time the EU were brave enough to admit that currently proposed biofuel standards and targets are unacceptable, and risk exacerbating the climate crisis and devastating wildlife habitats."

Meanwhile, an advisory panel to the European Environment Agency said on 10 April that the EU should suspend its ten percent biofuel target, calling the target "overambitious [and an] experiment [whose] unintended effects are difficult to predict and difficult to control." Although not all biofuels are bad, nor are biofuels the only reason for soaring food prices, Laszlo Somlyody, the panel's chair said "the idea was that we felt we needed to slow down, to analyze the issue carefully and then come back at the problem. The starting point was correct [] but the basic problem is [the EU] thought of transport alone, without considering all these other effects."

Draft sustainability requirements

The draft EU directive proposed a series of environmental sustainability requirements, including a greenhouse gas emission savings requirement of 35 percent, and a prohibition on the use of raw materials cultivated from land with high biodiversity or high carbon stock. Domestically produced raw materials would also have to comply with EU environmental requirements for good agricultural practices. EU member states would have the option of considering other grounds of sustainability.

There were few substantive changes made to the draft environmental sustainability requirements in the most recent working party document. Primary changes were to the greenhouse gas emission savings requirement, which would be increased to 50 percent beginning 1 January 2015, adjustable within a range of 40 to 50 percent in order to ensure an adequate supply of biofuels and to avoid undue trade distortions. It was noted however, that disagreement remained over figures and dates.

Compliance with social sustainability requirements, such as the protection of human rights and labour rights, was not included in the Commission's proposal; although it did require the Commission to monitor and report on commodity price changes and their effects on food security, the availability of foodstuffs in exporting countries, the ability of developing countries to afford foodstuffs and broader development issues, and to propose any necessary corrective action.

EU environment commissioner Stavros Dimas recently said that the sustainability requirements "must address both environmental and social concerns in order to be able to help us protect the environment and respect social justice." Development Commissioner, Louis Michel added, "I have long said that the fashion for biofuels could be a catastrophe especially in countries which are not self-sufficient in food."

The revised text has offered two alternative sections which would require third countries to be in compliance with treaties dealing with various civil, political, economic and social rights, and the environment. A Commission source said that these social requirements which were supported by Dimas and Michel, were slighted the first go around by Energy Commissioner Andris Piebalgs and Trade Commissioner Peter Mandelson.

Additional Resources

The civil society letter can be found at: http://www.foeeurope.org/agrofuels/documents/Letter_to_ambassadors_02Apr08.pdf

The European Commission's January 2008 draft directive can be found at: http://ec.europa.eu/energy/climate_actions/doc/2008_res_directive_en.pdf

The Council of the European Union working party document can be found at: http://www.foeeurope.org/agrofuels/documents/Proposal_sustainability_criteria_biofuels_27Mar08.pdf

ICTSD Reporting; "Environmental Groups Call for Credible Biofuel Safeguards," Friends of the Earth Europe - Press Release, 4 April 2008; Letter to Ambassadors, Birdlife International, EEB, FOEE, Greenpeace, 2 April 2008; "The Legality of PPMs under the GATT," Jason Potts, IISD, 2008; "EU Can Hit Biofuels Goal Without Conflicts-Germany," Reuters, 14 April 2008; "EU Environment Chief Raises New Biofuels Condition," Reuters, 16 April2 008; "An Appeal to Slow Down on Biofuel," International Herald Tribune, 16 April 2008.