Biofuel Policies and Indirect Land Use Change

The European biofuel policy has been widely criticized because of the danger that biofuels may not really save greenhouse gases in comparison to fossil fuels if all direct and indirect effects on emissions are taken into account. The most controversial claim is that the production of biomass for biofuels may induce land use change and thus additional emissions due to the expansion of food production into new areas. The authors Ruth Delzeit and Mareike Lange demonstrate that indirect land-use change from biofuels is difficult to assess; but some biofuels still contribute to climate protection.