This briefing gives an overview of reducing transport fuel emissions within the EU's fuel quality directive. In particular it examines the importance of giving high carbon sources such as tar sands and coal-to-liquid higher carbon values.
Two EU laws adopted in 2009 promote the use of biofuels in the EU, ostensibly for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. But both the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) and Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) could lead to higher, not lower greenhouse gas emissions unless the issue of Indirect Land Use Change (ILUC) is resolved.
Over 100 civil society organisations have written to President Barroso and his Commissioner colleagues calling for the full climate impact of biofuels, including indirect land use change, to be taken into account in two key pieces of EU legislation. The full text of the letter appears below.
To measure progress toward the FQD GHG emissions reduction target, the European Commission is designing reporting measures which will outline default values for the lifecycle GHG emissions of transport fuels derived from different sources, including fuels produced from unconventional feedstocks such as tar sands. Several questions have arisen whether the reporting measures and the inclusion of a default value for tar sands comply with World Trade Organization (WTO) rules and jurisprudence, namely the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and case law.
This is a summary of the report issued by CE Delft in March 2012, investigating into the extra cost that the implementing measures of the Fuel Quality Directive would imply for the oil industry and for the whole supply chain.
This report investigates into the extra cost that the implementing measures of the Fuel Quality Directive - if they are adopted according to the proposal of the European Commission - will imply for the oil industry and for the whole supply chain. It finds out that - for a typical 50-litre fuel fill-up - the added cost for consumer would be of half a Eurocent.
Summary of research carried out by Ecofys, “Assessing grandfathering options under an EU ILUC policy” and NGO policy recommendations.
This report investigates how grandfathering provisions for exising biofuels production in the Renewable Energy Directive (RED) can be best implemented to minimise damage to the environment. The consultants also considered the economic and political implications of the various options examined.
The EU should pave the way for a global action on reducing greenhouse gas emissions from shipping.
Any future support by the European Commission to help the car industry in their restructuring processes should be explicitly linked to progress made by carmakers towards more fuel-efficient and less carbon-emitting vehicles.