EU fails to reach decision on how to measure climate impact of biofuels

Senior EU officials have failed to agree on how to measure the full climate impact of biofuels, prolonging uncertainty in a debate that threatens to wipe out large parts of Europe’s biodiesel industry.

The talks followed warnings from scientists that using biodiesel made from European rapeseed, imported palm oil and soybeans does nothing to prevent climate change and could actually accelerate it.

After more than a year of in-fighting within the European Commission, the bloc’s 27 commissioners had been expected to choose between three main policy options at the meeting, but they failed to endorse any of them.