Three years ago, the EU set a target to source 10 per cent of its road and rail fuel from ‘renewable sources’ by 2020. But the subsequent rush for biofuels made from crops such as rapeseed, wheat and soya has been met by serious criticism.
Campaigners argue that making fuel from food crops has exacerbated food-price spikes and increased land grabbing, particularly in Africa. Food-based biofuels have minimal environmental benefit when their full life cycle is taken into account, and can in some cases be worse for the climate than fossil fuels.
