Having compelled the use of biofuels in transport fuel the European Union is now having to deal with the consequences.
...overall, when land-use effects are taken into account, most varieties of biodiesel turn out to produce more emissions than bioethanol — and often more than fossil fuels.
The effect wipes out more than two-thirds of the carbon emissions that Europe’s renewable-energy policy was supposed to save by 2020, says David Laborde, a researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) in Washington DC, which has produced influential reports for the European Commission.
In response the Commission has decided not to expand the biofuels mandate, but the EU Parliament is still wondering whether to increase it slightly.
Expanding a scheme that damages consumers and does little or nothing for the environment looks a lot like insanity. Much that goes on in the public sector does. But of course, once you understand that the biofuels mandate is driven by corruption, it all makes sense.