Civil society organisations today blamed governments at the Committee on World Food Security for defending the biofuels industry rather than the people pushed into hunger by biofuels policies. These organisations believe that expert evidence, which clearly showed that biofuels targets aggravate food price volatility and increase hunger, was ignored. Governments acknowledged that biofuels crops compete …
EU-US trade talks on hold, but risks remain
The delay to trade talks between the EU and US, which were due to start in Brussels today, must be used to address the risks a deal represents to people and the environment, says Friends of the Earth Europe. The negotiations were put on hold on Friday evening when it was announced that the US …
Biofuels limit not enough to prevent hunger and deforestation
The burning of biofuels in Europe will continue to increase and cause food price hikes and climate emissions after the European Parliament today failed to vote for tougher restrictions on their use. In a vote in Strasbourg on legislation to limit the quantities of ‘food based’ biofuels in renewable energy transport targets MEPs voted to …
Biofuels limit not enough to prevent hunger and deforestationRead more
Europeans forced to drive with more rainforest-destroying biofuels
Europe’s drivers are being forced to fill their tanks with increasing amounts of rainforest-destroying palm oil, with reliance on the controversial biofuel set to rise even further, new figures released today show. According to the data, palm oil use has increased much more than predicted and is now at 20% of the biodiesel mix. The …
Europeans forced to drive with more rainforest-destroying biofuelsRead more
New code, old conduct in the European Parliament?
The new code of conduct for Members of the European Parliament is failing to prevent potential conflicts of interest in a number of specific cases, finds a new report released today. [1] The research conducted by Friends of the Earth Europe, Corporate Europe Observatory, LobbyControl and Spinwatch, details the cases of four individual MEPs who …
MEPs vote to limit biofuels but fall short of ending food for fuel
The European Parliament’s environment committee voted today on legislation to limit the quantities of ‘food based’ biofuels in renewable energy transport targets for Europe. MEPs voted with a 60% majority to: Introduce a limit on biofuels that compete with food for land and water – but at 5.5% of transport energy, representing an increase from …
MEPs vote to limit biofuels but fall short of ending food for fuelRead more
