Newly agreed EU legislation on biofuels and fuel quality are highly unlikely to reduce CO2 emissions from transport fuel used in Europe. T&E and other environmental organisations are proposing substantial changes, in particular to address the environmental impact of indirect land use change (ILUC) caused by increased biofuel production.

Download the report Biofuels: Handle with care and summary in English, French and German
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Issues

Biofuels
There is increasing evidence that existing biofuel policies cause more harm than good.

• T&E briefing: Review of independent studies on biofuels and land use change [Updated September 2010]
• Bioenergy: a carbon accounting time bomb
• T&E Bulletin: 75 scientists call for end to biofuels targets
• Biofuels: Handle with care: Report and summary in English, French and German
• T&E position paper: Biofuels and indirect land use change

Fuel quality directive
Article 7a of the EU's revised Fuel Quality Directive, entered into force in 2009, sets a greenhouse gas reduction target for CO2 intensity associated with transport fuel production. Implementing measures on greenhouse gas methodology for fossil fuels are currently being discussed, and T&E is pushing towards taking the real carbon footprint of unconventional oil sources such as tar sands properly into account. This will make high carbon oil, which is hampering the efforts to combat climate change, less attractive for the EU market. The overall objective of the directive is to reduce carbon intensity of fuels used within the EU by 6% by 2020 (over their whole life cycle).

• T&E briefing: The fuel quality directive
  
• T&E briefing: How the EU should implement Article 7a of the Fuel Quality Directive
  

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