Biofuels not a silver bullet

1.47.00pm GMT Mon 21st Jan 2008

Commenting on the publication of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Select Committee's report on biofuels published today, Jo Swinson said:

"The Government's fixation on biofuels as some kind of silver bullet to reduce transport emissions is entirely unjustified. Most biofuels currently leave a negative environmental footprint.

"The £500million the Government will spend on supporting the industry would achieve much more if targeted at other measures to reduce transport emissions.

"Tackling the growth in transport emissions means changing our habits on the road, not just the way we fuel our cars.

"There is likely to be a role for more efficient second generation biofuel technologies, but a more sustainable approach must be taken."

Biofuels are liquid fuels produced from organic matter rather than from fossil fuels which are a finite and non-renewable resource. Most biofuels, known as first generation biofuels, are currently produced from conventional food and fodder crops.

Related Link:

More details on the biofuels report from the Environmental Audit Committee