Bioenergy in the European Commission's Proposed Post-2020 Eu Renewable Energy Directive

DECEMBER 2016 BIOENERGY IN THE EUROPEAN COMMISSION’S PROPOSED POST-2020 EU RENEWABLE ENERGY DIRECTIVE: AN ANALYSIS OF PROPOSALS AND IMPACTS Summary the expansion of wood-based any credible, independent bioenergy. verification and auditing The European Commission’s system. Furthermore, standards proposals for a new, post-2020 The Commission proposes cannot address indirect impacts Renewable Energy Directive to extend the principle of or make fundamentally (RED) fail to address the serious sustainability and greenhouse unsustainable consumption negative impacts of large- gas standards, which have levels sustainable scale biofuel and wood-based applied to liquid biofuels bioenergy expansion which since 2010, to wood-based Biofuelwatch supports the has been underway since the bioenergy, as well as other solid call, set out in a declaration current RED came into force biomass and biogas (albeit with signed by120 civil society in 2010. Instead of ending different standards in the case organisations in early 2016, to incentives for biofuels, the of wood-based bioenergy). remove bioenergy from the proposed new RED allows for However, no evidence exists to scope of the RED, to ensure that a 40% greater use of food- show that the biofuel standards only genuinely renewable and based biofuels such as palm have been in any way effective. low-carbon forms of energy and soybean oil in 2021, and a Not only are the existing biofuel are support, and to initiate still significant use of them by standards and the proposed meaningful economic and 2030. It seeks to boost the use wood-based bioenergy social changes to reduce the of advanced biofuels for which standards extremely weak and EU’s excessive and wasteful the technologies to produce reliant on flawed methods consumption of energy and them commercially have not for calculating greenhouse other resources. so far been developed. And gas emissions from bioenergy, it threatens to further boost but there is no proposal for Background On 30th November, the in the European Council, the Directive (RED) has first and European Commission European Parliament, and the foremost benefited large- published the long-awaited European Commission itself. For scale bioenergy, which makes draft of the post-2020 EU a new directive to come into up almost two thirds of all Renewable Energy Directive, effect in 2020, the final version energy classed as renewable1. which will replace the current will have to be approved by Bioenergy consists of biofuels directive, in place since 2010. 2019, likely as part of a wider made from vegetable oil, This proposal will be discussed ‘Climate and Energy Package’. ethanol made from sugar and and likely amended between starch, biogas made from the member states represented The existing Renewable Energy anaerobic digestion of crops, grass, manure and food waste, liquid biofuels has been a major with bioenergy in the current and wood, straw and other cause of both in recent years; RED. This briefing summarises solid biomass burned for heat the main new proposals as they and electricity. The bulk of • More landgrabbing, relate to bioenergy. energy generated from biomass displacement and other in the EU – and worldwide – injustices suffered by Biofuels in the new RED comes from burning wood. communities mainly in the global South as a result of the proposal: The inclusion of bioenergy in rising demand for agricultural Current provisions: EU renewable energy policy products and wood for energy is controversial: in February in the EU; The current RED includes 2016, 120 civil society groups a special 10% target for worldwide demanded that • More depletion and pollution renewable energy in transporti, bioenergy must be excluded of freshwater and soils as which is primarily being from the EU’s definition of intensively managed crop and translated into a biofuel target. renewable energy2. After all, it tree monocultures expand In 2015, the EU decided to is difficult to see how burning with the growing demand for cap the maximum contribution biofuels or wood meets the bioenergy; from food/land-based biofuel International Energy agency’s feedstocks, such as virgin plant definition of renewable energy, • Air pollution and public oils, sugar crops and cereals, which is “energy derived from health: Tree plantations, at 7% of all transport fuel by natural processes (e.g. sunlight oil palm, soya and other 2020. It was a disappointing and wind) that are replenished crop plantations that supply compromise which aimed to at a faster rate than they are wood pellets or biofuels are tackle indirect land use changeii, consumed”. The expansion of sprayed with harmful agro- but which allows a major, i.e. bioenergy under the current toxins. And the proliferation a 40% future expansion of RED has had multiple negative of wood boilers and wood- the very feedstocks which it impacts3, which include: burning power plants is seeks to limit. Food- and land- causing significant increases based biofuels accounted • Climate impacts: The in air pollution, especially for just 5% of EU road and emissions of greenhouse gases small particulates linked to rail transport fuel in 20154. tend to be no better and are respiratory and heart problems The existing RED includes often worse for large-scale in many parts of the EU; biofuel greenhouse gas and bioenergy than for the fossil sustainability standards, which fuels they are meant to replace, • Competition with wind and have been heavily criticised as provided all direct and indirect solar power and a distraction weak and insufficient by NGOs. impacts are accounted for; from the urgent need to reduce For example, they include the EU’s wasteful energy no social standards, i.e. no • Impacts on forests and other use: The RED sets an overall provisions to protect human ecosystems: Wood-based renewable energy target of rights, land rights or workers’ bioenergy is often associated 20% by 2020. Within that rights, and greenhouse gas with more clearcutting of target, bioenergy competes ‘savings’ are calculated using a forests and greater use of against wind and solar power, flawed methodology which, for destructive logging practices, not against fossil fuels. The false example, ignores all emissions while tree and crop plantations belief in a future ‘bioeconomy’ from indirect land use change. for energy replace forests, is further delaying urgently biodiverse grasslands and other needed measures to drastically How do the new proposals ecosystems; reduce the EU’s energy and differ from current provisions? resource use. • Greater food price volatility The generic renewable energy and worse food spikes: Sadly, the European Commission for transport target would be Competition for land caused appears to have learned little abolished; by the increasing demand for from the disastrous experience i. Shipping and aviation are ignored when calculating the overall volume of transport fuels, but biofuels used in either sector can count towards meeting the target. ii. Indirect land use change happens when land previously used to grow food or animal feed is instead used to grow biofuel feedstock, causing forests and other natural ecosystems to be converted to agriculture to grow food or feed instead. There will be one new target derived from wood, too. Existing biofuel refineries for “advanced” and residue- across the EU have a large and waste-based biofuels listed What are the problems with overcapacity8, i.e. they in a separate Annex, as well those proposals? can significantly ramp up as for fuels made from landfill production in future, without gas, plus renewable electricity Despite the overwhelming any new plants being built. Yet used in transport. The list of evidence of harm caused by they will be entirely exempt biofuels which count towards food- and other land-based from stricter greenhouse gas this target includes biofuels biofuels, the new proposal still standards. made algae, from waste sees a significant role for them; including Municipal Solid Waste Wood and other solid and used cooking oil, and “Advanced biofuels” made biofuels made from residues from solid biomass (cellulosic biomass in the new RED such as tallow (a slaughterhouse biofuels) or from algae, as proposal residue), agricultural residues, well as fuels made from manure and sewage sludge, solid non-biological waste Current provisions: and “wastes and residues are not commercially viable from forestry and forest-based with existing technologies. Wood-based bioenergy is industries”. It also includes Serious attempts at producing being promoted mainly by cellulosic biofuels made from cellulosic and algal biofuels virtue of counting towards the wood and from grasses such as have been ongoing since the overall 20% renewable energy miscanthus or ryegrass. Those 1910s and 1970s respectively, target by 2020 (and interim particular biofuels will need to without any evidence of a targets for earlier years). There make up 1.5% of transport fuels major breakthrough5. The only are no greenhouse gas and at the start of 2021, rising to at exception are liquid fuels made sustainability standards for solid least 6.8% by 2030. The share from biomethane, which can biomass, only for biofuels and of used cooking oil and animal be used in cars designed to run bioliquids. fats within that target will be (partly or fully) on gas; limited; How do the new proposals Using residues for biofuels can differ from current provisions? Biofuels and bioliquidsiii made displace their existing uses and from virgin plant oils, sugar cause previous users to turn to Biomass sustainability standards crops or starch (e.g. corn or virgin plant oils or fossil fuels will be introduced. For ‘energy wheat) will still count towards instead. For example, tallow crops’, such as miscanthus, the overall renewable energy (animal fat) use for biofuels has poplar or willow short target, which will be gradually been linked to greater palm rotation coppicing, the same increased from 20% in 2020 to oil use for soap and cosmetic standards as for biofuels will 27% in 2030.

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