New global alliance to draft biofuels standards
A new multi-stakeholder, international alliance is to draw up global standards for sustainable biofuels production and processing. Biofuels, with their potential to reduce carbon emissions, present one potential component of the energy mix of the future. The industry is booming in many regions worldwide, but without safeguards, biofuels could have negative impacts. The destruction of valuable forests for cropland, the use of scarce water and a reduction in the land available for food production have all led to criticisms of biofuels. A founding steering board has been created, and includes the WWF, Toyota, British Petroleum (BP), the Dutch and Swiss governments, the UN Foundation, the World Economic Forum, and the University of California at Berkeley. 'Many people are worried about biofuels contributing to deforestation and air pollution in the name of protecting the planet,' said Claude Martin, former Director-General of WWF International and Chair of the new round table's steering board. 'Companies and farmers want global rules that they can follow. The round table will bring together all of these actors to start writing these rules together, to ensure that biofuels deliver on their promise of sustainability.' The draft standards should be ready by early 2008, and will be prepared through a process of global feedback. Over 80 organisations from Europe, North America, South America, Africa and Asia have signed up to participate.