Norwegian environmental organizations sceptical about biofuels

Source: Xinhua   2017-03-26 00:45:28

OSLO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Some Norwegian environmental organizations criticized the government's decision on 20 percent biofuel in all cars in 2020, calling it a "political comfort pillow" and an "unreasonable environmental measure," newspaper Aftenposten reported Saturday.

Frederic Hauge, leader of Bellona Foundation, said the parliamentary decision to increase the turnover requirement for biofuels to 20 percent in 2020 joins a number of "unreasonable environmental measures from that side."

"We do not doubt the good intentions, but both biofuels and plug-in hybrids are more about political negotiations based on symbols and lobby than on facts," Hauge said.

Several Norwegian newspapers have recently published a number of articles on the reality of the ambition to increase blending of biofuels and its consequences. This has sparked a fierce debate, also among the leaders of different environmental organizations.

Truls Gulowsen, leader of Greenpeace Norway, expressed scepticism about biofuels as a good climate solution, since this would lead to further use of the internal combustion engine.

Hauge stressed that he and Bellona are very interested in biomass as part of the solution to gain control of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. But on boats and planes, not cars.

However, environmental organization Zero supports the government's decision that was taken before Christmas. Its leader Marius Holm disagrees with Greenpeace that biofuels will promote further use of the internal combustion engine.

"We believe in opposite, that biofuels initiative will accelerate the phasing out of the internal combustion engine," Holm said, adding that biofuels will be "used to replace fossil in aircraft, ships, and heavy vehicles where electrification has not come as far."

Editor: Mu Xuequan
Related News
Xinhuanet

Norwegian environmental organizations sceptical about biofuels

Source: Xinhua 2017-03-26 00:45:28

OSLO, March 25 (Xinhua) -- Some Norwegian environmental organizations criticized the government's decision on 20 percent biofuel in all cars in 2020, calling it a "political comfort pillow" and an "unreasonable environmental measure," newspaper Aftenposten reported Saturday.

Frederic Hauge, leader of Bellona Foundation, said the parliamentary decision to increase the turnover requirement for biofuels to 20 percent in 2020 joins a number of "unreasonable environmental measures from that side."

"We do not doubt the good intentions, but both biofuels and plug-in hybrids are more about political negotiations based on symbols and lobby than on facts," Hauge said.

Several Norwegian newspapers have recently published a number of articles on the reality of the ambition to increase blending of biofuels and its consequences. This has sparked a fierce debate, also among the leaders of different environmental organizations.

Truls Gulowsen, leader of Greenpeace Norway, expressed scepticism about biofuels as a good climate solution, since this would lead to further use of the internal combustion engine.

Hauge stressed that he and Bellona are very interested in biomass as part of the solution to gain control of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. But on boats and planes, not cars.

However, environmental organization Zero supports the government's decision that was taken before Christmas. Its leader Marius Holm disagrees with Greenpeace that biofuels will promote further use of the internal combustion engine.

"We believe in opposite, that biofuels initiative will accelerate the phasing out of the internal combustion engine," Holm said, adding that biofuels will be "used to replace fossil in aircraft, ships, and heavy vehicles where electrification has not come as far."

[Editor: huaxia]
010020070750000000000000011105091361577181