A European Union study indicates that biofuels from organic sources like soybeans can create up to four times more climate-warming emissions than standard diesel or gasoline. The EU removed that “information annex” from a report published in December but the confidential assessment was recently obtained under freedom of information laws by the Reuters news service. 

Biodiesel from North American soybeans reportedly has an indirect carbon footprint of 339.9 kilograms of CO2 per gigajoule – four times higher than standard diesel – said the EU document. Why so much carbon? Diverting soybeans to fuel production drives up global food prices. In turn, higher food prices prompt tropical farmers to create more cultivated land through burning forests. That burn off releases huge quantities of carbon dioxide. 

Land use is pivotal to assessing the environmental impact of biofuels. Biodiesel from European canola has an indirect carbon footprint of 150.3 kg of CO2 per gigajoule, while bioethanol from European sugar beet is calculated at 100.3 kg. Conventional diesel or gasoline is pegged at around 85 kg. Bioethanol from Latin American sugar cane and palm oil from Southeast Asia is rated in the EU study at 82.3 kg and 73.6 kg respectively. 

The European Commission (the executive arm of the EU) said in a statement that “the analysis prepared under this study applied a methodology which by many is not considered appropriate. Given the divergence of views and the level of complexity of the issue … it was considered better to leave the contentious analysis out of the report.” 

There is growing concern that biofuels – including second generation fuels made from wood chips – are not an effective solution to reducing emissions of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide.