EU parliament calls for biofuel targets to be cut

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2008

STRASBOURG (AFP) — The European Parliament called Monday for the EU to lower its targets for developing biofuels, thought to boost harmful emissions and drive up food prices, in favour of cleaner power sources for transport.

The environment committee of the European bloc's parliament recommended the EU aim to make renewable sources account for between eight and 10 percent of transport power sources, with biofuels to account for just half of this share.

The EU's ambitious energy and climate plan, unveiled last year, says no less than 10 percent of all the fuel powering vehicles must come from renewable energy by 2020.

An earlier reading of the EU plan had set a target by which this 10 percent would consist only of biofuels. EU ministers later said the plan...