"Biofuels can reduce greenhouse gas emissions from road transport — but at present most biofuels have a detrimental impact on the environment overall," Tim Yeo, chairman of the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee, was reported as saying.
The report said that without strict sustainability standards and ways to prevent damaging land use, a large biofuel industry could cause environmental damage in the UK and the loss of crucial rainforests around the world.
Research is under way to develop so-called second-generation biofuels, which would use waste products rather than food commodities. However, the committee noted that these technologies are some years away.
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