Fuelling nature: how e-fuels can mitigate biodiversity risk in EU aviation and maritime policy
Report | November 2024
Summary
Our report, with original research from Cerulogy, finds that
Using biofuels to decarbonise EU shipping and aviation puts biodiversity at serious risk.
E-fuels are the only solution compatible with both climate and biodiversity targets.
The European Union (EU) is at the forefront of global efforts to address the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. Central to this ambition are the targets outlined in the European Green Deal and stipulated in EU Climate Law.
However, the EU’s current approach to meeting its aviation and shipping greenhouse gas (GHG) emission reduction targets jeopardises meeting its biodiversity targets.
What does the report show?
This report evaluates key risks to biodiversity associated with the production of alternative fuels for aviation and shipping. It considers both the direct and indirect effects of energy production pathways, and highlights the importance of integrated, cross-sectoral approaches to mitigate these risks effectively.
It finds that prioritising the pathways with the highest emissions reduction potential – e-fuels for both aviation and shipping – will minimise biodiversity impacts whilst also bringing the greatest emissions reduction.
Our policy recommendations:
Invest in e-fuels: E-fuels present the only fuel pathway compatible with biodiversity targets due to their lower pressures on land compared to biofuel pathways. Delaying investment in e-fuel infrastructure risks increasing future costs significantly.
Reduce fuel demand: The pressures on biodiversity are already immense due to fuel production to meet existing demand. Implementing overall demand reduction strategies would collectively reduce energy demand and help align the EU’s biodiversity and climate goals.
Even though e-fuels are more compatible with biodiversity preservation than biofuels, a certain level of biofuel will likely be in the fuel mix as aviation and shipping transition away from fossil fuels.
Any biofuel production must be conducted in line with measures to protect biodiversity:
Recognise and prioritise the value of using land for preserving biodiversity: Robust ecological assessments would help stakeholders to understand the biodiversity value and ecological functions of these lands in considering biofuel production.
Monitor soil health: Soil carbon remains a blind spot in EU greenhouse gas emissions accounting policies. The EU’s proposed soil monitoring law should strive to align with renewable energy targets by encouraging Member States to adopt forest and agricultural residue removal thresholds for key soil types.
Promote biodiversity in agricultural practice: Preserve remaining patches of semi-natural habitat, fallow land, native trees, hedgerows, ponds, ditches, etc., some of which may be maintained as Ecological Focus Areas (EFAs) or under Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) measures.
The research was conducted by Cerulogy, commissioned by the SASHA Coalition.