EMEA News
EC Criticised for Overlooking Shipping, Biofuels in Draft Emissions Strategy Plan
The European Commission has again been criticised by green group Transport & Environment (T&E) for what it sees as a failure to adequately address ship emissions.
The latest comments came in response to a leaked draft of the European Commission (EC) strategy for low-emission mobility, and while T&E welcomed the fact it addressed efficiency standards for new cars and vans, it said the omission of shipping, aviation, as well as biofuels, was "disappointing."
"On biofuels, the Commission has regrettably refused to entirely rule out a continuation of the failed policy of using food-based first-generation biofuels; nor has it dismissed a role for gas trucks," said T&E.
"Both the environment and the industry need certainty about plans to move from bad biofuels to sustainable energy in transport.
"However, the greatest disappointment is the complete lack of ambition on international aviation and shipping. Given the growth in their emissions, which is projected to continue under business-as-usual, far more action is needed to ensure they contribute to Europe's low-emission transport agenda."
This certainly isn't the first time T&E has been critical of European authorities in relation to Shipping; in 2013 it called the EC's emissions Monitoring Reporting and Verification (MRV) proposal "timid," while earlier this year it said Europe's failure to press for a ban on the use of HFO in the Arctic was "a major cause of concern."
