The EU ban

In a move to address the issue of climate change, European lawmakers made the decision to revamp its renewable energy policies.

In 2017, the European Union announced plans to introduce more stringent policies and changes to its Renewable Energy Directive ( RED) to reform the power market and reduce energy consumption that envisage more ambitious climate goals.

The draft on new policies and changes to its RED has recently been approved by European lawmakers, infuriating major plantation products exporters in Southeast Asia, including Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand.

According to an article by Reuters, under the plan backed by the European Parliament, renewable energy would account for at least 35 per cent of the EU’s overall energy use by 2030. Last month EU national governments agreed a target of 27 per cent, disappointing environmental campaigners who see it as too little to combat climate change.

The draft measures are aimed at helping the EU meet its overall goal to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 40 per cent below 1990 levels by 2030, following the Paris Agreement to limit global warming to no more than two degrees, Reuters reported.

The draft measures also contain provisions for renewable transport fuels, seeking to promote research in advanced technologies and to limit fuels made from food and feed crops, including palm oil, which are blamed for deforestation and higher food prices. It also envisage banning the use of palm oil, a major import from Southeast Asia, in motor fuels from 2021

The target requires the promotion of better insulation and energy use in buildings, more efficient consumer goods and smart appliances in homes.

Under the draft measures, biofuels made from other food and feed crops cannot exceed seven per cent of all transport fuel.