Cancun 'a chance to formalise biofuel composition targets'

The UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun is an opportunity to adopt widespread rules on biofuel composition similar to those implemented in individual countries, it is suggested.

According to the Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA), countries around the world are already laying down their own targets for biofuel composition.

For instance, aims for gasoline to contain five per cent ethanol are already in place in Canada, India and the Philippines.

Brazil, meanwhile, has mandated blends of up to 25 per cent ethanol, while transportation fuels in the EU must contain ten per cent renewable energy sources by the end of the decade.

A previous commitment saw EU member states work towards a 5.75 per cent renewable energy mix in transportation fuels by a deadline of 2010.

"The UN must recognise biofuels as a viable pathway to reducing greenhouse gases," says GRFA spokesperson Bliss Baker.

"Many of the UN's member nations are already leading the way by adopting biofuel-friendly policies."