IUCN Colloquium, Nov. 1-5, Wuhan, China - Biofuels in the EU

Anita Ronne from the University of Copenhagen discussed the use of biofuels in Denmark. Denmark’s largest renewable fuel contributor is biomass, most of which is composed of straw from agriculture. Professor Ronne suggested that current biofuels are more efficiently used to decrease greenhouse gases in heating and electricity generation rather than in transportation. As such, biofuels should be used in transportation only after its use is exhausted in the most efficient ways. This idea is appealing, but currently the U.S. biofuel government incentives do not distinguish the use of biofuels in heat and electricity generation from transportation.

Also in the EU, the EU Commission issued a new directive in 2009 mandating binding biofuels targets. Each member state will draft national action plans, which it will be submitted to the EU Commission for approval. The question now is how the directive will be implemented. Challenges include creating a documentation system to track the production of biofuels, especially whether the biofuels were produced sustainably.