BRUSSELS - As a U.S. drought pushes up food prices worldwide, the European Union is considering limiting the amount of food-based biofuels that can count toward its mandatory renewable fuel targets.
The bloc previously decided that 10 per cent of fuel used by its transport sector must come from renewable sources by 2020.
But environmentalists argue that biofuels made from food, like corn and soybeans, may add as much to greenhouse gas emissions as fossil fuels because trees are felled to grow them. Others have deplored the burning of food while millions go hungry.
In response, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, proposed Wednesday that food-based fuels only be allowed to contribute to half of the 10 per cent target. The proposal still has to be approved by the 27 EU governments and the European Parliament.
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