Guardian:
A new study has found that the legal requirement in the UK and
Europe to put biofuels in gas and diesel is unethical. An
18-month inquiry by the independent Nuffield Council on
Bioethics found that the need to meet rising biofuel targets
has led to exploitation of workers, damage to the environment,
loss of wildlife, and higher food prices. Food prices have
risen because the main biofuels currently used come from food
crops such as corn and sugar cane. Also, biofuel targets have
driven rapid expansion of biofuels production in parts of the
world with lower ethical standards, which has led to the
destruction of rainforest and to near-slavery conditions for
workers. Several corrective measures have been suggested,
including switching from using food crops to agricultural
waste, such as straw and fast-growing perennials, and adopting
an international certification scheme, like Fairtrade, to
guarantee that the production of biofuels is fair, equitable,
and sustainable.
