Biofuels

JNCC has reviewed available evidence on biofuels demand and supply to identify the key regions that are currently or will be in the future important global sources of biomass for energy. Sub-Saharan Africa, the Caribbean/Latin America and the CIS/Baltic have been identified as key regions where supply of biomass for energy will exceed regional demand.

Using biofuels as a partial replacement for fossil fuels such as petrol and diesel can reduce greenhouse gas emissions but their production can also have potentially negative environmental impacts. There is concern that the increasing use of biomass for biofuels will place yet another unwelcome pressure on global ecosystems. The use of Brazilian sugar and Asian palm oil has attracted attention to biofuels impacts in the tropical zone, particularly in tropical forests. The current UK biofuels consumption pattern, based on 90% imported fuels and a strong preference for biodiesel, is actually increasing pressures on temperate grasslands rather than tropical ecosystems.