'Biofuels could pollute more'

Environmentalists have warned against biofuels, saying they could produce twice the carbon emissions of the fossil fuels they replace, environmentalists have claimed.

Friends of the Earth said rules introduced a year ago requiring a percentage of UK transport fuels to be ���green��� could have created an extra 1.3 million tonnes of CO��, Sky News reported.

Supporters of biofuels said that in the first year of the Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation, the industry had shown it was possible to produce sustainable fuels in the UK. But Friends of the Earth claim the RTFO could be producing the equivalent emissions of putting an extra 500,000 cars on the road.

The group���s director Andy Atkins said: ���Trying to cut emissions by adding biofuels to petrol is like trying to cut down on beer by lacing your pints with vodka���. Until ministers can prove that biofuel actually cuts carbon, UK should stop biofuels being added to petrol and diesel, he said.