Biofuels need not cause deforestation
European biofuels production can increase without indirect land use change (ILUC), University of Utrecht research said.
ILUC describes the phenomenon where biofuel production on arable land displaces other crop production to previously unused land, potentially leading to deforestation and carbon-intensive agriculture on unsuitable land.
The EU Energy Council has reached a political agreement to asses ILUC factors when certifying biofuels, although legislation is yet to be enacted.
The report proposed a number of measures to reduce the indirect effects of biofuel crop cultivation, including the exploitation of under-utilised land and yield increases. The University of Utrecht report found that measures to make biofuels more sustainable could support the agriculture sector as a whole.
wc/egs
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