Biofuels must be on international agenda - EU

05 July 2007 11:26  [Source: ICIS news]

MANCHESTER (ICIS news)--Biofuels have to be developed as part of an international agenda, EU commissioner for external relations Benita Ferrero-Waldner said on Thursday.

 

Speaking at a conference on biofuels in Brussels, Ferrero-Waldner said no country could crack the challenges of climate change and energy security alone.

 

“The benefits and risks of developing biofuels on a grand scale have to be tackled as part of an international agenda,” she said.

 

With global biofuel production expected to quadruple in the coming years, it could make a tremendous contribution to combating climate change, reduce the EU’s reliance on expensive, imported fossil fuels and have great potential for meeting international development goals, the commissioner said.

 

“But we cannot afford to turn a blind eye to the potential drawbacks,” she added. “We need to analyse them – and avoid them.”

 

Ferrero-Waldner said she was “particularly delighted” that Brazilian President Lula da Silva was at the conference to discuss how biofuels could be developed globally.

 

“I was impressed to learn that half of all cars in Brazil are running on biofuel, and Brazil is certainly well placed to continue to lead the way in the international market place for biofuels,” she said.

 

Earlier in the week, the European Investment Bank (EIB) announced it was to provide loans of more than €37 million to EU companies to establish biofuel projects in Brazil, raising concern among environmentalists.

 

Friedrich-Wilhelm Graefe zu Baringdorf, vice-president of the European Parliament’s agriculture Committee, urged EU leaders and the EIB to “refrain from investing in Brazilian monocultures for the production of agro-fuels”.

 

He claimed the agreement would “further destroy ecologically sensitive areas like the Amazonian rainforest and contribute to more food insecurity in Brazil and around the world”.

 

By: Philippa Jones
+44 20 8652 3214

< previous article(VIDEO - ICIS news Asia Lunchtime Bulletin 16 October 2009)

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly