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Biofuelwatch, Forest Watch Indonesia and Global Forest Coalition are calling the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to exclude harmful biofuels from compliance with the Net-Zero Framework. Last week, during the Extraordinary Session of the
\nMarine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC ES.2) in London, countries decided to postpone the decision on the adoption of the Framework to 2026. But important discussions will continue on 20\u201324 October on key details on clean energy incentives in the Framework, and the organisations stress the importance of preventing biofuels from being included as a supposed \u201cgreen\u201d alternative to fossil fuels.<\/p>\n
Decades of evidence show that indirect land use change (ILUC) emissions from crop-based biofuels \u2013 such as soy and oil palm \u2013 wipe out their claimed climate benefits, driving forest loss, food insecurity, and land and water grabbing as agriculture is displaced onto marginal or uncultivated land. Soy and oil palm-based biofuels can generate emissions even higher than
\nfossil fuels.<\/p>\n
\u201cBiofuels are not a sustainable solution under any circumstances. In Latin America, the push for soy-based biofuels has accelerated deforestation and driven communities off their lands. If the IMO creates new demand for biofuels, it will unleash more emissions, more inequality, and more land grabbing\u201d said Jana Uemura, Climate Campaigner at the Global Forest Coalition.<\/p>\n
\u201cRejecting biofuels in the Net-Zero Framework means protecting the world\u2019s remaining tropical forests \u2013 critical carbon sinks and biodiversity hotspots.\u201d said Anggi Putra Prayoga, Forest Campaigner at Forest Watch Indonesia. \u201cThe climate crisis is already real. It is crucial to take a firm stance on adopting truly zero-emission energy sources, rather than biofuels that generate new emissions through deforestation.\u201d<\/p>\n
The example of Indonesia should be a warning to other countries. In Indonesia, the expansion of palm oil plantations for biofuel continues to drive deforestation \u2013 even within protected and conservation forests which are highly vulnerable to climate change. \u201cThe loss of forests not only worsens emissions but also endangers the lives and rights of Indigenous peoples who depend on forest resources,\u201d added the Forest Campaigner.<\/p>\n
To avoid these impacts, the IMO should make sure high-ILUC fuels are excluded in the Framework. Major national and industry frameworks, including the EU\u2019s Maritime and Aviation policies, the UK SAF Mandate, and the International Civil Aviation Authority\u2019s CORSIA scheme, already exclude or cap high-ILUC biofuels, or include ILUC emissions in the life cycle accounting. The IMO must not fall behind.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe urge all IMO member governments to take a strong, united stance against the inclusion of
\nbiofuels in the Net-Zero Framework\u201d said Pax Butchart, Biofuel Campaigner at Biofuelwatch, \u201cthe science is clear: crop-based and waste-derived biofuels cannot deliver real emissions reductions. Governments now have a historic opportunity to steer the shipping sector toward truly clean, zero-emission solutions that protect people and the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Equally, biofuels produced from waste and residues such as used cooking oil (UCO), have limited availability and scalability, and won\u2019t be able to satisfy the demand of international shipping in the long run. Recent research estimates that while used cooking oil (UCO) will be the cheapest pathway for compliance, its supply is highly constrained and largely already used in the transport sector.<\/p>\n
The global waste oil supply currently used for biofuels production could only meet about 5% of shipping\u2019s energy demand, leaving the sector reliant on the next-cheapest compliance pathway, high-ILUC biofuels, with major sustainability risks. UCO and palm derivatives, such as palm oil mill effluent (POME) and palm fatty acid distillate (PFAD), have been associated with fraud, weak auditing and risk displacement from their current use, increasing the use of unsustainable palm oil elsewhere.<\/p>\n
The IMO governments must now pursue truly sustainable alternatives, including improved energy efficiency, wind-assisted propulsion and reducing demand for maritime transport in international trade.<\/p>\n