Open Access Highly Accessed Review

Are biofuels sustainable? The EU perspective

Sam Cockerill1* and Chris Martin2

Author Affiliations

1 Sam Cockerill Ltd, Link Hall, Wheldrake Lane, Crockey Hill, York YO19 4SQ, UK

2 Xenva Ltd, George Street, Ryde, Isle of Wight PO33 2JF, UK

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Biotechnology for Biofuels 2008, 1:9 doi:10.1186/1754-6834-1-9

Published: 1 May 2008

First paragraph (this article has no abstract)

On 21 January 2008 the UK Government's Environmental Audit Committee (EAC) published its report on the inquiry 'Are biofuels sustainable?' [1]. Their short answer, which has since been echoed by a wave of media coverage and environmental group campaigning, was a resounding 'No'. The report concludes that the stimulation of biofuels production by the UK Government and by the EU is reckless. It urges the UK Government to withdraw support for biofuels, and to persuade the EU to do likewise by putting a moratorium on the current 5.75% target for biofuels until more sustainable production processes are developed.