EU CIVIL SOCIETY STATEMENT – October 2010
EU climate policy in
transport must not cause irreversible environmental and social damage
To all EU Heads of State,
EU Commissioners and members of Parliament
Biofuels were initially introduced as a green and climate-friendly
alternative to fossil fuels in the transport sector. Since then, an
accumulation of scientific evidence has shown that expanding biofuel
production to meet the EU's renewable energy target will cause
substantial greenhouse-gas emissions, damage biodiversity, exacerbate
rural conflict and land grabbing in developing countries, and impact
food prices globally.
In particular, the increased demand for biofuel crops is pushing
agriculture into previously unfarmed land – often at the expense of
forests, carbon rich peat-lands, and local communities – causing the
phenomenon known as 'indirect land use change'. Converting this land
into fields and plantations is emitting millions of tonnes of carbon
into the atmosphere. Many scientific studies show that when these
emissions are factored in, most biofuels actually increase emissions
compared to fossil fuels.
Expansion of biofuels also contradicts other EU objectives, such as
decreasing deforestation, reducing hunger, and promoting human rights.
New plantations often lead to disputes over land rights in producer
countries, destruction of habitats, and impacts on the availability and
price of food for the world's most vulnerable societies.
Climate policies and national renewable energy action plans should be
part of the solution – not the problem, which is currently the case
with biofuels.
There is an urgent obligation to amend EU laws and national plans to
take into account the full greenhouse-gas impacts of biofuels. We need
an energy revolution in Europe that contributes to real and substantial
reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions without accelerating
deforestation and biodiversity loss or exacerbating social and resource
conflicts in developing countries.
To this end, we call on the European Union and its member states to:
Support legislative proposals counting
for the full climate impact of biofuels – The European Union
must factor in known sources of unaccounted greenhouse-gas emissions
for biofuels. The current policy is inadequate, because it encourages
biofuels that increase greenhouse-gas emissions compared to fossil
fuels. This can be done by including robust and precautionary 'factors'
that reflect emissions from indirect land use change.
Revisit and amend biofuel policies
– Member states must eliminate support for biofuels that increase
greenhouse-gas emissions. Priority must be given to energy efficiency
and renewable electricity in trains and cars to contribute to the
renewable target in transport. The sustainability of national and
European biofuel targets must be reviewed to reflect the reality of
biofuel expansion on total emissions, biodiversity and communities.
The EU must only
accept biofuels that demonstrably reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, pose
no significant land-use issues, and do not risk social or conservation
conflicts. For this reason, the EU should introduce indirect land use
change factors to fully acknowledge all greenhouse gas emissions from
its policies and bring forward an urgent review of the sustainability
impacts of expanding biofuel use.
Signed:
1 ActionAid (International)
2 Environmental Investigation Agency (International)
3 Greenpeace (International)
4 Oxfam International (International)
5 Peace Brigades International (International)
6 BirdLife Austria (Austria)
7 Climate Alliance Austria (Austria)
8 Global 2000 (Austria)
9 VCÖ Mobilität mit Zukunft (Austria)
10 Associations 21 (Belgium)
11 Bond Beter Leefmilieu Vlaanderen (Belgium)
12 Broederlijk Delen (Belgium)
13 Duurzame Landbouwwerkgroep JNM (Jeugdbond Voor Natuur En Milieu)
(Belgium)
14 Justitia et Pax (Rechtvaardigheid & Vrede) Belgium (Belgium)
15 Natagora (Belgium)
16 Natuurpunt (Belgium)
17 VODO Vlaams Overleg Duurzame Ontwikkeling (Flemish platform on
sustainable development) (Belgium)
18 Vredeseilanden (Belgium)
19 National Movement Friends of the Earth (Bulgaria)
20 BSPB (Bulgaria)
21 Friends of the Earth Cyprus (Cyprus)
22 Society for the Conservation of Marine Mammals (Denmark)
23 Association 2Celsius (EU)
24 CDM Watch (EU)
25 ClientEarth (EU)
26 European Environment Bureau (EU)
27 FERN (EU)
28 Friends of the Earth Europe (EU)
29 Naturefriends International (EU)
30 PAN Europe (EU)
31 Stichting BirdLife Europe (EU)
32 Transport & Environment (EU)
33 BirdLife Finland (Finland)
34 Maan Ystävät Ry (Finland)
35 CCFD-Terre Solidaire (France)
36 Les Amis de la Terre – France (France)
37 Réseau Action Climat – France (France)
38 Bundesverband für Umweltberatung (Germany)
39 Adivasi-Koordination (Germany)
40 Arbeitsgemeinschaft Regenwald und Artenschutz (Germany)
41 Brot für die Welt (Germany)
42 Deutscher Naturschutzring (Germany)
43 ecodevelop – Action for Ecological Development (Germany)
44 INKOTA-netzwerk (Germany)
45 Naturfreunde Deutschlands (Germany)
46 OroVerde – Tropical Forest Foundation (Germany)
47 Pro REGENWALD (Germany)
48 Pro Wildlife (Germany)
49 Robin Wood (Germany)
50 Watch Indonesia! (Germany)
51 Zoologische Gesellschaft für Arten- und Populationsschutz
(Germany)
52 BUND (Germany)
53 Hellenic Ornithological Society (Greece)
54 Caritas Athens (Greece)
55 Legambiente (Italy)
56 Action Solidarité Tiers Monde (ASTM) (Luxembourg)
57 Archevêché de Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
58 bioLABEL (Luxembourg)
59 Commission luxembourgeoise "Justice et Paix" / "Justitia et Pax"
(Luxembourg)
60 Demeter-Bond (Luxembourg)
61 Cercle de Coopération (Luxembourg)
62 Eurosolar Lëtzebuerg (Luxembourg)
63 Fondation Bridderlech Deelen (Luxembourg)
64 Frères des Hommes (Luxembourg)
65 Mouvement Ecologique Luxembourg (Luxembourg)
66 natur & ëmwelt (Luxembourg)
67 natur & ëmwelt / d'Haus vun der Natur (Luxembourg)
68 SOS FAIM Luxembourg – Action pour le développement
(Luxembourg)
69 TransFair Minka (Luxembourg)
70 ICCO (Netherlands)
71 Milieu Defensie (Netherlands)
72 Natuur & Milieu (Netherlands)
73 Netherlands Centre for Indigenous Peoples (NCIV) (Netherlands)
74 SALAMANDRA – Polish Society for Nature Conservation (Poland)
75 Quercus – Associação Nacional de
Conservação da Natureza (Portugal)
76 ALMA-RO Association (Romania)
77 Asociatia Brasovul Verde (Romania)
78 Asociatia de Turism si Ecologie DIANTHUS Medias (Romania)
79 Asociatia Ecologie-Sport-Turism (Romania)
80 Asociatia Ecouri Verzi (Romania)
81 Clubul Ecologic Transilvania (Transylvania Eco Center) (Romania)
82 Mare Nostrum NGO (Romania)
83 Re.Generation Association (Romania)
84 Romanian Ornithological Society (Romania)
85 TERRA Mileniul III Foundation (Romania)
86 Cepta – Centre for sustainable alternatives (Slovakia)
87 Obcianske zdruzenie TATRY (Slovakia)
88 Slovak Ornithological Society – BirdLife Slovakia (Slovakia)
89 Slovakia-Southern Africa Society (Slovakia)
90 Society for Sustainable Living in the Slovak Republic (Slovakia)
91 SOSNA. Oz (Slovakia)
92 ZIVICA Centrum environmentálnej a etickej vychovy (Slovakia)
93 Focus drustvo za sonaraven razvoj – Focus association for
sustainable development (Slovenia)
94 Institute for Sustainable Development (Slovenia)
95 ALBA SUD (Spain)
96 Ecologistas en Acción (Spain)
97 SEO/BirdLife (Spain)
98 Global Witness (UK)
99 Orangutan Foundation (UK)
100 Permaculture Association (UK)
101 Pesticide Action Network (UK)
102 RSPB (UK)
103 Sumatran Orangutan Society (UK)
104 The Real Bread Campaign (UK)
105 Friends of the Earth (UK – England, Wales, Northern Ireland)
106 Friends of the Earth Scotland (UK – Scotland)
EU Civil Society Statement (PDF)
Luxemburger Kommission
"Justitia et Pax"
http://www.restena.lu/justpaix