Britain to sell five percent biofuels by 2010

Britain to sell five percent biofuels by 2010

	Published : Sun, 13 Nov 2005 16:10 By : Cedric Benson Print this Story

LONDON - UK Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced on Thursday that five percent of all the motor fuel sold in the country would have to come from renewable sources by 2010.

"Taking action to tackle climate change is essential ... I am determined that transport should play its part in addressing the threat of climate change," Mr. Darling said in Birmingham. At present the biofuel used in Britain is only about 0.25 percent of all road fuel sales and this new requirement would lead to a 20-fold increase in utilizing renewable resources.

By and large the announcement was seen as a positive move towards fulfilling the growing energy demands and depending less on outside imports to meet the same. However, concerns abound that some of the fuels will still have to be imported to meet the growing demand, "We live in a global market place and the worry is that some of these fuels will be imported," said Roger Higman, of Friends of the Earth. There is also a question mark on the carbon cycle of these fuels, which could defeat the very purpose for their use.

Opposition leaders called on the government to lead by example saying that ministers continue to use gas-guzzling cars, but lecture about biofuels to the common folk, "Action speaks louder than words. Here we have Alistair Darling banging on about renewable fuels at a when the Government is failing to keep its own house in order. This is hypocrisy. It's time the Government led by example and boosted the fuel efficiency of its own fleet," said Tom Brake, transport spokesman for the Liberal Democrats.

Crops such as wheat, sugar beet and rapeseed could be used to supply biofuels and this has raised the level of awareness in the farmers who welcomed the announcement regarding the five percent obligation, National Farmers Union Scotland vice-president Bob Howat said in a statement that they had always used the "government for a while now to introduce a meaningful target for biofuel use and we are delighted they have now done so."