Globiom: the basis for biofuel policy post-2020

The study does not assess what the overall impact of biofuels is compared with fossil fuels. This paper adds ‘direct’ emissions (for example, from tractors, fertilisers, etc) and subtracts emissions from fossil petrol and diesel equivalents, putting the Globiom numbers in a wider context so that policy conclusions can be drawn.

The key conclusions are:

1. EU biofuel policy before ILUC reform would have increased, not decreased, emissions in 2020 by 3.7%;
2. After ILUC reform – the 7% cap – EU biofuel policy will still likely increase emissions by 1.4%;
3. First-generation biofuels increase EU28 transport GHG emissions by 4.7% and 3.5% before and after the cap respectively.

In order to give better biofuels a chance:

1. The 7% cap should fall to zero after 2020;
2. Zero-counting towards GHG emissions should be ended for biofuels above the cap (just like they cannot be counted towards renewable energy objectives);
3. And the ban on state aid after 2020 should be maintained and enforced.

Below you can download T&E’s full analysis and presentation.