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Biofuels

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. Many of the opinions of some his colleagues on this subject would not necessarily tick every box and meet every criteria of every international organisation. I could certainly spend a great deal of time citing other organisations that support the continued use of biofuels—although with the improvements to regulation and classification that I have talked about. To allow energy companies simply to tick the metaphorical ““don't know”” box turns a blind eye to the environmental problems that biofuels are trying to solve. The onus should be on the providers to ensure that their biofuels come from sustainable sources. On a connected topic—in agreement with the Stern review and the report we are discussing today—it is important that, alongside the RTFO, the Government work to promote an international commitment to investing in carbon sinks. Will the Minister tell us what, if anything, the Government are doing to further that particular suggestion from the Stern review? Does he agree that without a commitment to biofuels now, second and third-generation biofuels will simply not be developed in the future? Second-generation biofuels, such as jatropha and cellulosic ethanol, work to extract energy from the whole of the crop and are much more energy efficient, as has been said. Such biofuels need less land and can often grow in more hostile environments where it is impossible to grow food crops. We must therefore aim to get second-generation biofuels up and running as quickly as possible. Without further investment in the biofuels industry, we could miss out on a whole new generation of biofuels and the role that they could play in the future of transport energy. Will the Minister confirm whether the Government are committed both to the future development of second and third-generation biofuels and to investment in them? I said earlier that there was no single solution—no silver bullet—to the problem of transport energy. We need a package of measures to reduce CO2 emissions from transport, and first on that list would be better investment in public transport. We need more reliable trains and buses, which run on time and are affordable, comfortable, clean and accessible to all. Without investment in public transport, people will continue to use their cars for both long and short journeys even when alternatives are available. We need to invest in programmes that change public attitudes to transport and encourage people to get out of their cars and use bicycles or walk for short, local journeys. Future fuel options such as fuel cells and hydrogen need much more development and investment, but they have real long-term possibilities. However, the reality is that we need to cut carbon emissions now. For that reason, the Liberal Democrats believe that, alongside the other initiatives that I have mentioned, biofuels have a role to play in the short to medium term, as long as they are genuinely and demonstrably sustainable. The measures that I have laid out would mitigate many of the problems facing biofuels as an environmentally friendly option for powering cars. We therefore do not agree with the statement in the report that a moratorium on the biofuels target would be the best option. Such action would do nothing to decrease our carbon footprint and could stall the development of second and third-generation biofuels, which may prove able to help to supply the world's transport energy needs.