A new report by anti-poverty NGO ActionAid warns that up to 100 million more people could go hungry due, in part, to the 10% binding target for renewable fuels in transport set by the Renewables Directive (2009/28/EC). Whilst global biofuel consumption is estimated to increase from some 70 billion litres in 2008 to 250 billion litres in 2020, the increase in the EU will be steeper, up nearly fourfold. According to the report, dated 15 February, EU biofuel consumption will jump from 13 billion litres to about 55 billion litres.

With some two-thirds of EU consumption being imported, mainly from the developing world, ActionAid warns that food and animal feed crops will be displaced onto land in new areas. To meet the EU’s 10% target alone, the total land area directly required to grow industrial biofuels in developing countries could reach 17.5 million hectares. This is over half the size of Italy.

According to the NGO, EU companies have already acquired or are in negotiations for at least five million hectares of land in developing countries. “This has led to displacement of people, lack of consultation and compensation, broken promises about wages and job opportunities, and food scarcity,” notes the NGO.

ActionAid’s biofuels campaigner Tim Rice wants an end to targets and financial incentives for industrial biofuels. He is also calling for more support to be given to small-scale sustainable biofuels in the EU and elsewhere. Another demand is that, when drawing up their national renewable energy plans, required under the RES Directive by June 2010, member states should not introduce or increase targets for the proportion of energy that comes from industrial biofuels (the 10% target is for all ‘renewable’ transport fuels not just biofuels).

The report is available at www.europolitics.info > Search = 266253