“It is vital that we use these technologies in our fight against climate change.
Of course they should be used wisely with the right measures in place.
But they should not be dismissed. That would be a mistake.”
JESPER HEDAL KLØVERPRIS, SUSTAINABILITY MANAGER AT NOVOZYMES A/S
Prevent planet temperature rise
At the 2015 Paris Climate Summit, world leaders agreed to act to hold the planet’s temperature rise to below 1.5° Celsius. For its part the EU has committed to reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 40% by the year 2030. What needs to get done today to make this really happen?
One of the most challenging places to achieve a reduction in carbon emissions is transport. It is proving virtually impossible to make climate progress as people and goods move about more, mostly in small private vehicles each equipped with its own powerful and efficient engine designed solely to convert fossil oil into carbon dioxide and send it into the atmosphere. So will we have to cut back on our time behind the wheel or go through an enforced switch to public transport?
"We can reform energy in transportation
From an old model of large centralised oil refineries that bring in fossil material from faraway and ship fossil products equally far
To a distributed model of smaller facilities that make sustainable low carbon fuel from locally produced feedstocks and of which the value of the product stays in the local communities"
JAN KONINCKX, GLOBAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR BIOFUELS AT DUPONT
20% ethanol in petrol by 2030
Policy makers are looking for solutions which don’t restrict citizens’ mobility. Bioethanol is produced entirely from natural organic material grown in Europe and resulting in an extremely efficient high-octane fuel. Ethanol blending is already prevalent in many countries today and already makes up nearly 5% of the petrol in our cars. Today's cars and fuel systems are suited to it.
Ethanol blends are significantly less harmful to the environment than fossil oil, as bioethanol emits nearly 70% less greenhouse gas than oil, with that percentage improving greatly every few years. As the technology advances fewer and fewer emissions are produced.
European ethanol comes with absolutely no adverse side effects even when produced on a large scale.
If ethanol were to replace just 20% of fossil petrol by 2030 the transport sector would make a real contribution to combating climate change.
Ethanol is a practical realistic climate solution which can be introduced quickly without inconveniencing European citizens or their politicians. It is economical too.
European bioethanol is an environmentally friendly and sustainable option for reducing emissions and it doesn’t cause unwanted knock-on effects here or outside our borders.
It also stimulates agricultural activity throughout the Union, securing farm incomes, underwriting the bioeconomy and reducing our energy dependency on oil rich states.
Electric vehicles will sooner or later replace fuel based cars, however this process will take a decade or two more than the time allowed for the Paris Climate Agreement.