Palm oil and other biofuels from agricultural crops were initially heralded as the main tool by which the EU could decarbonize road transport and were given generous subsidies over a decade ago. Now we look at palm oil very differently as increasing evidence shows that biofuels from agricultural crops take up land that would otherwise be used for growing food, which has had an effect on food prices.
Studies have shown biofuel is also causing growers to raze forests, which results in more carbon in the air. After years of controversy and delay, the European Commission has finally made a definitive verdict on biofuel from palm oil, concluding that the cultivation of it results in excessive deforestation and is for this reason unsustainable. Now the EU is banning subsidies for palm oil, which will surely result in a phase-out of the fuel’s use in Europe. It’s taken longer than it should have, but finally, a major governmental force is doing something to stop the damage caused by palm oil.
