The European Parliament has been busy lately negotiating new standards for fuel emissions on the continent. The body’s Industry Committee was focused this past week on determining the right amount of transport fuel that needed to be renewable within the next decade. The Industry Committee signed off on a report that requested a 10% share of the European Union’s fuel sources be taken from renewable sources by 2020.
While the report on its face seems like a moderate step toward sustainable transportation, a closer look reveals a push toward cleaner energy. The approved report asks European Union members to ensure that 40% of the renewable energies be taken from non-food ethanol, electricity, hydrogen and other clean fuel sources. It is important to note that the European Parliament would be forced to review progress toward these goals by 2014 in terms of food prices, biodiversity and the sustainability of the plan.
Several aspects of the approved renewable fuel report are heartening for European leaders, environmental activists and eco-conscious consumers. The proposed fuel policy requires each member nation to create an action plan that would outline progress toward the Parliament’s goals. Each nation could work with its neighbors in order to trade percentages toward reaching the non-food ethanol and renewable fuel goals. The plan sets a 5% renewable energy goal and a 1% non-food ethanol goal by 2015 to keep member nations on the right track.
The amorphous phrase “non-food ethanol” is pulled back a bit by the greenhouse emissions standards approved by the Industry Committee. The biofuels in question would need to achieve a 45% cut on all emissions in comparison to standard fuels. This standard would increase to 60% emissions savings after 2015 if the European Parliament approves the plan in an October vote.
The European Parliament can take another step toward a sustainable continent by approving this plan in its current form. While the 10% renewable energy requirement may seem minor, some nations would exceed this amount to take a leadership role in the world of green transportation. The addition of national action plans, assessments and non-food ethanol requirements to the plan ensure that the European Union will get greener in proceeding years. We will need to see if this plan will be held up by industry lobbying, bureaucratic sluggishness and technical problems that have beleaguered the European Parliament in the past.
