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The Paris Agreement on Climate Change entered into force in September, starting a coordinated effort by the world’s governments to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and limit climate change impacts. It’s far from the end, though. Entering into force starts the hard work—meeting each nation’s decarbonization targets. Every country’s intended nationally determined contributions (INDCs) will reduce emissions and expand economic opportunities for clean energy. More than any other nation, Brazil’s INDC relies on biofuels to meet these goals.

In its Strategy to decarbonize the transport sector, the Commission made the decision to focus on advanced biofuels only and phase out all conventional biofuels by 2030. If like us you like to think you are a logical person, right now, you’re thinking ‘why’?

The publication of the Communication on low emission mobility and the announcement of the upcoming new Renewable Energy Directive put biofuels, once again, in the front stage. Scientific evidences tell us: there are sustainable conventional biofuels even when you scratch the surface!

Today the European Commission published a Communication on low-emission mobility. While we acknowledges the Commission’s clear support signal towards advanced biofuels we are also deeply concerned about the gradual phase out of first-generation biofuels.

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (known by the acronym “UNICA”) today commented on proposed 2017 renewable fuel standards by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The association also issued the following statement, which should be attributed to UNICA’s President, Elizabeth Farina.

This week UNICA’s President Elizabeth Farina was supposed to attend the Apex-Brazil conference in Brussels and talk about the EU-Mercosur trade agreement. The event was cancelled because of the tragic events but here are the key messages she would have conveyed.

What would you think if I told you that I want to have a leading role in climate change policy but that I restrict the access of renewable solutions to my market?

“You’re totally inconsistent” would be the natural answer. But this is exactly what the European Commission just did.

"A few days ago, I was listening to the speech of Vice-President Šefčovič’s at a high-level event in Brussels on biofuels. He said that “all main alternative fuel options must be pursued”. We hope that sugarcane ethanol will be given a chance to prove what it can do.
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The moment has come for the EU to review one of the main pieces of legislation that influenced the EU biofuels and transport policies in the last few years: the Renewable Energy Directive (RED).

2016 is the ‘year of implementation’. The year we will have to put together the measures needed not only to achieve the 2030 Framework targets and Energy Union goals, but also the COP21 Agreement. we are officially transitioning towards a low-carbon future and need to phase out fossil fuels. How we will get there is the real question we have to address now.

Remember our opinion piece on Euractiv on a scenario outcome for COP21? Even better!

I hope you’ve all had a great winter break and that you’re well rested for what promises to be an exciting year in terms of the transport and energy policy agenda.
We know that 2016 is the year where we need to see things through – the ‘year of implementation’ as Commissioner Cañete has nicknamed it – and a number of big legislative dossiers are headed our way.

Here we are! In Paris, following another round of negotiations on climate. I hope an ambitious agreement can be found at the end of these two weeks and we are happy to provide our contribution to the debate.

The Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (known by the acronym “UNICA”) issued the following statement regarding the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) final renewable volume obligations for 2014-2016 through the Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS). It should be attributed to Elizabeth Farina, UNICA President.

Check our latest op-ed on COP21 and the contribution of cleaner fuels to the debate on the EurActive website.