It鈥檚 a planet-wrecking fudge. The European Union鈥檚 own scientific reports have shown that its renewable energy policies are actually increasing carbon dioxide emissions and driving deforestation. Yet it is only going to tweak some of the offending policies, rather than make the sweeping reforms required.
In particular, Europeans now burn more palm oil in their cars and trucks than they eat in food. The growing demand for palm oil is driving the destruction of the rich rainforests in Malaysia and Indonesia, including those home to orangutans.
The European parliament had called for a complete ban from 2021. But , the parliament and EU member states merely agreed to limit the use of palm oil, rather than halt it altogether.
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鈥淚t鈥檚 a disgrace that Europeans could be burning palm oil for another 12 years,鈥� . 鈥淏ut the battle is not over. Each European government can in 2021 decide to ditch palm oil and other food-based biofuels.鈥�
Unsustainable 鈥渞enewables鈥�
What鈥檚 more, the biggest source of 鈥渞enewable鈥� energy in the EU is not wind or solar, but biomass, mainly wood. While small-scale use of wood can be sustainable and help cut emissions, wildlife campaigners say the EU is using wood on such a massive scale that it is increasing emissions and driving deforestation both in the EU and elsewhere. There is growing evidence that they are right.
鈥淰irtually no progress has been made to end state subsidies for unsustainable forms of bioenergy that can be worse than fossil fuels,鈥� . 鈥淭here is now an acute danger that, across Europe, we will be burning wood at an unprecedented and industrial scale, with dire consequences for forests and the climate.鈥�
Worse still, other countries are copying the EU鈥檚 flawed policies. For instance, earlier this year the US announced that, like the EU, it would regard wood-burning as carbon neutral 鈥� even though it鈥檚 not.
