As part of a new government initiative, UK motorists are now using fuel made partly from biofuels.

UK motorists will now fill their cars with fuel made partly from biofuels as part of a government effort to address climate change – amidst outcry from environmental and charitable welfare organisations.

The new government initiative, Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), requires 2.5% of road fuels to come from biofuels, rising to 5% by 2010.

Such a measure is expected to save 2.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide by 2010. However, environmental organisations and charities have called for the government to call off its RTFO policy until it has completed a thorough investigation into the impact of biofuels.

Oxfam cited the existence of scientific evidence that proves biofuels could exacerbate climate change, and that the fuels are linked to reports of human rights abuse, slave labour, and rising global food prices.

Robert Bailey, Oxfam Policy Adviser, explained: “People in poor countries are being driven off their land to make way for new plantations. They are working in punishing conditions for pittance. The price of food is spiralling rapidly out of their reach and rainforests are being destroyed.”

The UK Government has however insisted that it ‘has gone further than any other country…to produce sustainable biofuels that do not harm the environment.’ Jim Fitzpatrick, Transport Minister, assured: “…We want to introduce mandatory standards as soon as possible to guarantee that biofuels don’t cause deforestation or food shortages and we are leading international work to do this. In the meantime, we require suppliers to produce sustainability reports, providing an immediate incentive for them to source biofuels responsibly.”

Oxfam argued that the initiative will cost UK taxpayers £500 million a year and has urged the government to re-think its policy: “It is outrageous that the government is forcing compulsory use of biofuels onto the British public without full evidence of their impact. It’s like treating a patient with an untested medicine that could make them even more unwell,” added Bailey.