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Biofuels

I thank my hon. Friend for her contribution; I can only say, "Hear, hear." She is right to say that the produce of that land, in terms of food, should not be wasted. There is a similar argument about not wasting our energy resources. Tonight, however, I am going to try to deal with the issues that my hon. Friend the Member for Brent, North raised about the sustainability criteria for the use of land. Let me turn to international sustainability criteria. Biomass is a global commodity, and as supply is set to expand across the world, we clearly need to act internationally to ensure sustainability. The UK Government are actively working at a European and global level to develop efficient and effective sustainability criteria for bioenergy. The Government believe that mandatory sustainability criteria for large- scale users and suppliers of biomass are essential. That is a tick for another of my hon. Friend's questions. At the end of the year, the European Commission is due to report on the need for sustainability criteria for the solid biomass used for energy generation in the EU and to bring forward proposals as appropriate. The Global Bioenergy Partnership project to develop an international approach to sustainability is due to finalise its criteria and indicators for bioenergy in 2010. Given the close interest that my hon. Friend shows in these issues, he is probably aware that that project is chaired by the UK. Recent growth in global biofuel production has generated much debate about land use change and the impact that that can have on food availability and prices, as well as other social and environmental outcomes, as my hon. Friend vividly set out. The renewable energy directive does indeed contain an ambitious target for the UK to source 10 per cent. of our transport energy from renewable sources by 2020. I heard what he said about the urgent need for a greater research base for the years 2020. Biofuels, as a readily deployable renewable transport technology available on a large commercial scale, are expected to provide the major contribution to meeting the target. If produced sustainably, biofuels have the potential to offer considerable carbon savings compared with traditional fossil fuels. However, the Government recognise that we need to do more to ensure sustainability with regard to the indirect effects on the environment. Our challenge is to support and promote the "good" biofuels—those that do not cause environmental or social damage. The UK is already at the forefront of the debate on sustainable, cost- effective biofuels. We are one of the first to establish a reporting system into the sustainability of our biofuels, and we are pursuing an ambitious research strategy based on the best available science, which will inform our policy on all levels. The Government are supporting the development of sustainable advanced—or next generation—biofuel technologies, which my right hon. Friend the Member for Scunthorpe (Mr. Morley) asked about, and which can produce fuels from a wide range of biomass feedstocks, including crop residues and biodegradable wastes, and from ligno-cellulosic processes. The Government are also active internationally, and the UK has been instrumental in ensuring that the renewable energy directive contains mandatory sustainability criteria for biofuels, including delivering greenhouse gas savings of at least 35 per cent. and making it a condition that they must not be sourced from areas of high biodiversity or from high-carbon soils such as rainforests or wetlands.