Many European governments are getting serious about developing sustainable jet fuels to tackle the climate impact of flying. But a new report shows Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland risk repeating the biofuels fiasco with plans to promote crop-based fuels that cause more carbon emissions than the fossil fuels they replace. Transport & Environment (T&E), which analysed seven national plans for sustainable jet fuel, said only Germany focuses on developing near zero-carbon electrofuels for aviation.
The European Commission has announced it will propose an EU-wide sustainable jet fuel mandate, known as ReFuelEU, in 2021. T&E said the EU mandate should focus on e-fuels to ensure the uptake of truly sustainable alternative fuels in the sector.
Andrew Murphy, aviation director at T&E, said: “Europe is finally getting serious about reducing the climate impact of flying. The type of alternative jet fuel chosen will decide whether we repeat the mistakes of the past or embrace fuels that can actually decarbonise aviation. Advanced fuels, such as e-fuels produced from additional renewable electricity, offer that but only if realistic targets are set.”
Spain, the Netherlands, Sweden and Finland also set unrealistically high targets that could result in unsustainable biofuels being used, the report finds. While France and Norway do not promote crop-based biofuels, their strong focus on advanced biofuels could lead to high demand for feedstocks that can only be sourced sustainably in very limited amounts, such as used cooking oil. T&E said countries promoting advanced biofuels should properly assess the impact of targets they set.
