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All petrol and diesel on sale in the UK must now contain biofuel. The first stage of the British government’s Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation, which comes into effect today, forces fuel suppliers to include at least 2.5 per cent biofuel in all petrol and diesel sold in the UK. This is due to rise to 5 per cent by the end of the decade.

The new law aims to reduce the road transport sector’s CO2 output, bu...Read the full article

It would be nice to see some figures. I wonder what percentage of the UK's total CO2 output passenger vehicles make up and of this, what 2.5% is. I would also be interested to know where the UK plan's to source this new fuel and how much CO2 is given out in harvesting, processing it and shipping it above conventional oil.

From an economists' point of veiw, biofuels are really bad news. Most developing countries are net importers of biofuel based commodities. This means they will be diproportionately effected by the rising prices. In fact, the largest exporters of maize are the USA, France and Australia. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and east Asia are all net importers. Currently 20% of US maize output is devoted to biofuel production. Another sobering fact is that the grain required to fill a 25 gallon SUV fuel tank would feed one person for a year. This wouldn't be such a problem if developing countries could switch agricultural output to meet growing demand, but they simply lack the technology and understanding to do so. 

The British Government is lying through its teeth to the British public on Bio-Fuels and climate change. The Labour government should resign. They're taking the public for fools, behaving like irresponsible vandals with both the economy, the enviroment and energy policies. Enough is enough.

Wether we're talking about Bio-Fuel Ethanol sourced from corn or soya beans and wether that is sourced in Britain or imported from abroad there's no getting away from the facts about Ethanol - whatever the Dept. of Transport lies about, cannot be either 'sustainable' or 'renewable - Ethanol based Bio-Fuels are devastatingly inefficient, wasteful and unsustainable as an energy poilcy for Britain. It's inefficient, wasteful and unsustainable in its impacts on agriculture wether the Ethanol is sourced in Britain or imported from abroad.

1. Bio-Fuel Ethanol produces 6 times less energy than it absorbs in farming, refining and production transport.  http://tinyurl.com/c4hya

2. Turning plants such as corn, soybeans and sunflowers into Bio-Fuel fuel uses much more energy than the resulting ethanol or biodiesel generates http://tinyurl.com/hywt3

3. Bio-Fuel Ethanol makes Petrol Costlier and Dirtier - Ethanol reduces fuel economy by 30% compared to gasoline http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=7308
 

4. Bio-Fuel Ethanol will increase greenhouse gases  http://www2.nysun.com/article/71253

5. Bio-Fuel Ethanol is 'not sustainable' - doubles corn prices and could only supply 12% of U.S. motoring fuel even if every acre of corn were used http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba591/

6. Australian Government MPs plan to rip millions off in subsidies for Bio-Fuel Ethanol producers. http://www.brookesnews.com/051107ethanol.html

7. Bio-Fuel Ethanol Vehicles Pose Significant Risk To Health  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/04/070418072616.htm

8. Bio-Fuel Ethanol pollutes and increases "Dead Zone" that kills fish and aquatic life  http://tinyurl.com/697yer

9. Environmental Costs of Bio-Fuel Ethanol  http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba591/

10. Myths of Bio-Fuel Ethanol - not good for energy or food, ONLY corn farmers  http://abcnews.go.com/2020/story?id=3204163

11. Bio-Fuel Ethanol - How Ethanol Starves the Poor  http://tinyurl.com/66fagb

12. The Bio-Fuel Ethanol myth - fuel economy drops 27%, can't find emission benefits! http://tinyurl.com/2an4nd

13. Bio-Fuel Ethanol from Corn Faulted As "Unsustainable Subsidized Food Burning" in Analysis by Cornell Scientist  http://tinyurl.com/gbyvv

14. Bio-Fuel Ethanol Fuel from Corn increases food prices  http://tinyurl.com/6aws8c

15. Bio-Fuel Ethanol blamed for Food Riots  http://tinyurl.com/5km99v

16. Biofuel Ethanol demand makes food expensive - makes cheap food 'history'  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6481029.stm

In short Bio-Fuel Ethanol is bad for energy, bad for fuel efficiency, bad for the enviroment, bad for taxation, bad for your pocket, bad for food prices, bad use of land, bad for everyone - except corn farmers!

You're right Plonkers. Like climate change we need a democratic debate and for the Department of Transport to 'flesh out' its meaningless broad sentances with some more detailed facts. Like how did the British Government manage to reverse sound economics and energy?

Hidden under the surface of their Ethanol propoganda is an economic, agricultural and energy disaster. How long can Government attempt to pull the wool over its citizens eyes? You really have to be a cretin to promote Bio-Fuel Ethanol. Labour are Total Losers.

Autocar report: The government claims that it is satisfied with the renewability of the UK’s biofuel sources. "The UK has done more than any other country to make sure they are produced sustainably," said Transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick.

But according to the Daily Telegraph the government doesn't know where the hell half (50%) of the Bio-Fuel Ethanol comes from?!!

Daily Telegraph report: "The Department for Transport was also unable to say how much biofuel being sold on forecourts was imported ahead of the first interim report of the Renewable Fuels Agency, expected in July'08.

Suppliers of fuel must tell the Renewable Fuels Agency where their fuel came from and what it was made of but they are allowed initially to enter up to 50% of the biofuels they use as of unknown origin. Shell, BP and other major fuel companies say it is difficult to say how much soya, rape, palm oils or ethanol from sugar cane is in the motorist's tank because of market variability, shared storage tanks and pipeline infrastructure."

So let's get this right. 50% of Bio-Fuel ethanol is unaccounted for!!!! The Governments claims (hard with 50% 'missing' to make any claim with any credability) that it is satisfied (hard to be "satisfied" with half-a-job) with the renewability (50% may have no good renewable credentials) of the UK’s biofuel sources (which it doesn't half of where it came from). "The UK has done more (half-a-job) than any other country (name 3 other countries doing less than half-a-job?) to make sure (half the time we haven't a clue) they are produced sustainably (we have no idea where its from Gov')" said Transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick (sack this cretin). What a farce.

'Biofuels could make Millions Homeless' - Daily Telegraph (15/04/08).

Story.  http://tinyurl.com/64aszu

 

Using food biofuels in our cars is genocide. Instead bring in rationing of petrol and diesel.

230, brining in bio-fuel ethanol is indeed a form of 'genocide' - as an economic policy, as an energy policy, as an agricultural policy and as an 'impact of forced down your throat Government dictat on its citizens' experiment. And has sweet fanny adams enviromental benefit too - a minus sum game all round. It's Govt forced self-harming!

Martin Wolfe at the Financial Times called it agricultural and ethanol refining subsidies 'masquerading as an enviromental policy'. Namely the only people actually benifitting from this entire charade are the farmers and ethanol refiners who are rolling in public cash (heavy subsidies) to keep this bankrupt scam, err scheme afloat. 

BTW why 'ration' petrol and diesel? There's trillions of tons to go around, plenty, plenty plenty we're not running out.