Peter and Jane: A Short Film about Biofuels

Press Release

Peter and Jane: A Short Film about Biofuels

10 May 2011

[Brussels] More than 20 environmental organisations across Europe are calling on the EU to stop the environmental damage caused by EU biofuels targets with the help of Peter and Jane, characters in a specially-created animated short film.

The film, distributed on social networks including YouTube and Facebook, highlights the problem of so-called indirect land use change (ILUC).

ILUC is happening as a direct result of a legally binding EU target for 10% of transport fuel to come from biofuels by 2020. As fields of food crops are switched to grow biofuel crops, somebody somewhere goes hungry unless those missing tonnes of food are grown elsewhere.

The crops that make-up the shortfall could come from anywhere, but economics dictate that will likely be in tropical regions, encouraging farmers to cut down rainforests, or drain ancient peatlands - both resulting in a massive release of greenhouse gas emissions.

For most current biofuels, the effect is to wipeout the emissions that should, in theory, be saved when plants are grown - making them worse than fossil fuels.

A recent study by the independent Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) found that the use of biofuels in EU transport will emit between 81% and 167% more greenhouse gases than fossil fuels and require an area twice the size of Belgium in new land to grow biofuel crops. The findings were based on EU member states’ plans for increasing use of biofuels and the most recent science on ILUC.

In the short film, Peter is persuaded by his friend Jane to stop growing his favourite food crop (potatoes) in his garden in order to grow sunflowers that can be turned into biofuel. Forced to go to the supermarket to buy his potatoes, Peter realises that a farmer needs more land to grow the extra food and learns that this new demand for food crops is met by clearing rainforests and other precious nature.

Environmental organisations are calling on the EU to bring forward a legal proposal to cancel out the ILUC problem by only allowing biofuels that are better overall than fossil fuels, when ILUC is fully accounted for. The European Commission is expected to propose how it intends to deal with ILUC by July.

To watch the 1m 30 second film in English, go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=igUtLwruUjA

Other languages are available thanks to the cooperation of some coalition members. Many thanks to them.

Please find more about ILUC on the Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/stopbadbiofuels