National Express has dropped out of a trial to assess biofuels because the threat 'green' fuels pose to the environment is too great, the company tells the Guardian.
Palm oil and soy are farmed over massive areas in Brazil and south Asia, on land that was once tropical rainforest. Forests store carbon and destroying them releases that carbon into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
Closer to home, the cultivation of fuel crops is increasing on set-aside land, where food crops cannot currently be grown. Set-aside is good for wildlife as are grasslands in other parts of Europe which are also under pressure. Grasslands encourage wildlife and, like trees, store carbon.
Manufacturers can call their biofuels green even if their production increases emissions or causes environmental harm. Emissions produced from farm chemicals and machinery, and the transport of crops from field to processing plant and beyond, could make emissions higher than conventional fuel production.
Harry Huyton, the RSPB's biofuels expert, said: "National Express has made the right decision and other companies should follow suit. There is no way of knowing whether biofuels will help save or cause damage to the planet because their emissions and sustainability are not checked.
“The government should have sorted this out by introducing standards but have dragged their heels and hidden behind excuses. We will have greenhouse gas limits in 2010 and sustainability standards a year later. These are the right things to do but should be in place now."
Guardian report