MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

EU cuts bio-fuels target for transport road to 10% by 2020

European Union lawmakers voted this week to cut in half an ambitious target for using crop-based bio-fuels for 10% of its road transport needs by 2020. The vote by the European Parliament's industry committee deals a blow to climate change goals agreed by EU leaders last year to try to cut carbon dioxide emissions.

Environmental and aid groups had criticized the EU 10% bio-fuels use target, claiming it harmed efforts to fight global poverty, to effectively tackle carbon emissions and caused deforestation. The bio-fuels target is part of an ambitious climate change package the 27 EU leaders embraced last year, which they hope to enact by year's end. The overall aim is for the EU to draw 20% of all its energy from renewable sources by 2020 â€" up from 8.5% now. Lawmakers pushed EU governments to move away from so-called first generation bio-fuels, which use food crops to make transport fuels, and instead use more alternative green technologies like electric and hydrogen powered vehicles. An amended climate change bill now goes to the full European Parliament for a vote and back to EU governments for further negotiations. EU governments and the EU assembly all have to agree on the climate change plan before it becomes law.