Eric Sievers, the CEO of Ethanol Europe, the holding company of ethanol production facility Pannonia, Tuesday urged support for biofuels from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and from the European Union itself, at an industry event in Budapest.
Sievers said that those groups which opposed the proliferation of biofuels were often "beguiled" by the persuasions of the oil industry. He added that the denial of climate change and the continued "obfuscation" of biofuels was hindering progress in Europe and further afield.
To help with this significant road block, Sievers welcomed NGOs who he called the "gate keepers" of environmental issues, to help in the "fight against oil."
To combat climate change and topple oil from its throne, Sievers said the EU must increase taxes on oil to force it out of the fuel mix and rise biofuels mandates significantly.
Touching further on the role of NGOs and their importance in the move toward a higher ratio of biofuels in the road-fuel mix, Sievers said it was a damning insight that anti-hunger, anti-poverty and anti-climate change often came out in opposition to biofuels and ultimately, inadvertently supported the oil industry as a result.
He said that NGOs and policy makers needed to get serious in their support for renewables and renewable development.
The speech was met with praise and support from many conference attendees who agreed with the need to get NGOs on side, one said: "We're not going to go anywhere if we don't win that battle."
