Take action to postpone Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation

News that the government’s chief environmental scientist that the Government's biofuels policy should be delayed is welcomed. Next week a piece of legislation will come into effect that will have serious consequences for the environment and climate change.

Photo: Slide taken from Kevin Lister's excellent slide show highlighting dangers of the current policy by Tesco to use biofuels from unsustainable sources

From Tuesday 15 April 2008, the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation (RTFO) will force fuel companies to include biofuels as part of their fuel mix. From that date, 2.5 per cent of all petrol and diesel sold in the UK will come from crops such as palm oil and maize. The government hopes this will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions which are contributing towards climate change, but the RTFO is being pushed through without any sort of sustainability criteria attached which will lead to a host of environmental problems and human rights issues.

The Green party, Friends of the Earth, RSPB, Oxfam, Cafod, Greenpeace and many others are urging transport secretary Ruth Kelly, to postpone the compulsory use of biofuels until proper standards have been put in place. The EU Environment Commissioner to Defra's chief scientist, from the Royal Society to the Environmental Audit Committee - have also raised doubts.

You can take action here - email Ruth Kelly and tell her to postpone the RTFO until essential sustainability standards have been developed and implemented.

I've already highlighted on this blog the problems: how rainforests, savannahs and grasslands are being uprooted to make room for either biofuel crops like palm oil or food crops which are being diverted into biofuels production; how the price of food could soar as an increasing amount is diverted to produce biofuels instead of feeding people; and how many biofuels are increasing greenhouse gas emissions, not reducing them.

For the story so far on the RFTO check Greenpeace website here. See also info:
http://www.campaigncc.org/biofuels.shtml
http://www.biofuelwatch.org.uk/actionsapr08.php

Meanwhile I have been trying to find out more about recycled fats locally - there are a number of people looking at setting up a business but info is not really available - one project that looks good was covered by the BBC here.