Do you agree with new policy that reduces taxes for US producers of renewable chemicals?

And so the debate rumbles on – European oilseed growers were said to be ‘relieved’ as a recent discussion centred on appropriate consideration of indirect land use (ILUC) changes failed to reach a conclusion.

EU senior officials met in early May to debate biofuels’ indirect impact on greenhouse gas emissions as deforestation and land clearing to grow crops for energy use creates carbon dioxide emissions. Up until 2017 biofuels only need to achieve greenhouse gas savings of 35%, then it goes up to 50% or 60% for plants that started production in 2017.

The contentious issue contains many strands, but the main one is what impact growing different crops has on carbon dioxide emissions and how best to measure it. Researchers have been looking at the impact ILUC from biofuel development has on the environment. More and more land is being cleared to grow energy crops as the demand for biofuels increases worldwide, so what is the best way to develop alternative fuels?