Biofuels U-turn urged by think-tank

The government's strategy in promoting biofuels should be abandoned and the funds instead used to prevent the destruction of rainforests and peatland, a think-tank has argued.

A Policy Exchange report on Tuesday urged ministers to look at alternatives to biofuels as government-imposed targets on these fuels has led to deforestation, as well as rising food prices.

Pointing to the fact that deforestation accounts for around 20 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions globally, the think-tank recommended that the £550m spent per year on meeting biofuels targets would better tackle climate change if used to help prevent deforestation.

Shadow environment secretary Peter Ainsworth said that the "report is timely and welcome" and stressed that "unless we find a practical solution to the problems caused by deforestation the battle against climate change is in danger of being lost".

"While ministers are calling for the international community to look at the impact of biofuels, here in the UK, the government's policy means people are filling up their cars with biofuels that may be damaging the environment and endangering food security," he claimed.

"Time and again the government has been warned that their policy of targets without safeguards is madness. When will it admit it has got this wrong and bring in proper sustainability criteria for biofuels?"

Under the terms of the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) target, five per cent of all road vehicle fuel is to be supplied by biofuels by 2010.

But transport secretary Ruth Kelly has said that the government would now consult on whether to delay reaching the RTFO target until 2013-14.