A new report out of the European Union extols the benefits of using crops to produce biofuels and essentially dispels the notion of food versus fuel.
The report released from the nova-Institute and the European Bioeconomy Alliance (EUBA) says using “first-generation agricultural biomass, i.e. crops like cereals, sugar and oil plants, to produce bio-based energy and materials in Europe results in important benefits for food security, biodiversity, agriculture and climate-change mitigation.”
“Despite widespread concern and frequent policy pushback against the use of first-generation biomass for industrial applications, often originating from concerns of undermining food security, scientific evidence suggests that these concerns are largely misplaced,” the report states. “The debate is shaped by emotional and political arguments rather than robust data or a comprehensive understanding of the global food system.”
The new research highlights four key benefits to the EU from the use of biomass including food crops for non-food applications such as fuels, chemicals and materials:
Enhancing a resilient and competitive EU agriculture
Increased food security
Supporting climate change mitigation
Supporting biodiversity protection