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A biofuel conundrum

Nature Climate Change volume 1, pages 389–390 (2011)Cite this article

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As scientists raise alarming questions about the true carbon cost of some biofuels, policymakers must decide how best to promote low-emission versions, reports Sonja van Renssen.

It seemed like such a good idea: rather than running cars on dirty oil, why not use a carbon-neutral fuel made from plants? Back in December 2008, European leaders agreed that 10% of all transport in the European Union (EU) should run on renewable energy by 2020. In practice, this is a target for biofuels because electric vehicles, the other alternative to petrol and diesel power, are expected to need at least another decade's development.

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Figure 1: Bar chart showing the greenhouse-gas emissions from direct and indirect land-use change for different energy crops.

References

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  1. Sonja van Renssen is a freelance journalist based in Brussels,

    Sonja van Renssen

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  1. Sonja van Renssen
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Correspondence to Sonja van Renssen.

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van Renssen, S. A biofuel conundrum. Nature Clim Change 1, 389–390 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1265

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