November 7, 2025 | 10:15 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Ahead of the main session of the COP30 Climate Summit on November 10-21, 2025, more than 100 members of the global scientific community have urged world leaders to limit the expansion of biofuels. Those who signed the petition came from the Union of Concerned Scientists and the World Resources Institute.
The letter comes as Brazil is rallying support from leaders to double the use of sustainable fuels. The requested commitments include doubling biofuel as part of the international response to the climate crisis.
Lately, scientific evidence shows that biofuel, claimed to be climate-friendly, actually produces an average of 16 percent more emissions than the fossil fuels it replaces. If expanded, biofuel production is predicted to increase global net greenhouse gas emissions by nearly 34 MtCOe per year, equivalent to adding 30 million new diesel cars on the road.
The letter also warns of serious environmental impacts, including damage in areas with high biodiversity, scarce water consumption, and increased agricultural runoff. Increased biofuel use is also expected to exacerbate global hunger.
"With rising food prices, increased food price volatility, and the diversion of calories from human consumption," said the scientists in a statement on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.
Uncontrolled use of biofuel restrictions is not a new issue. In 2020, the European Union limited conventional plant-based biofuels, the first generation of such fuel, to 7 percent in the transportation sector, while waste-based and residue-based biofuels were limited to 1.7 percent.
In biofuel-producing countries like Brazil and Indonesia, civil society organizations also advocate for a holistic approach, including restricting cultivation areas, improving traceability, investing in community governance, and decentralized energy.
"The evidence is clear, burning crops for fuel is a bad idea. We cannot ignore its effects on climate, ecology, and food security," said Cian Delaney, a biofuel campaigner.
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