8/14/2019 Biofuels DO Pollute and DESTROY More than Oil

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Land ready for palm oil plantation use, in Central Borneo, Indonesia Photo: BARCROFT MEDIA

Using biofuel in vehicles could be destructive to the rainforest as well as leading to higher greenhouse gas emissions than using just petrol and diesel, a fuels watchdog has claimed.

Published: 9:22AM GMT 29 Jan 2010

Fuel providers are compelled to add anincreasing proportion of biofuel to dieseland petrol under the Renewable TransportFuels Obligation. This year 3.23 per centmust be made up of biofuel and by 2020that increases to 13 per cent.

However, the first annual report by theRenewable Fuels Agency (RFA) claimsthat fuel companies are exploiting a loophole which means they are not required todisclose the origin of nearly half the biofuelsupplied to filling stations in 2009.

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Last year Esso reported the source of only 6 per cent of its biofuel while BP reported 27 per cent. Shell, the bestperforming of the main oil companies, only revealed two thirds of its biofuels origins.

Palm oil is the cheapest fuel to buy and is used by most companies to meet part of their biofuels obligation.

However, it is also the most damaging to the environment due to the CO2 released when forest is burnt down to createplantations.

The RFA said: "The large proportion of unknown previous land use is of concern. If even a small proportion of this wascarbon-rich grassland or forestland, it could have substantially reduced the carbon savings resulting from the renewable

el requirements for cars may help destroy the rainforest, watchdog sa... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/energy/biofuels/7099252/Biofuel-requi...

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