Twenty one Nobel prize winners-including South African anti-apartheid campaigner Desmond Tutu-are calling on the EU to immediately implement the Fuel Quality Directive (FQD) which would see tar sands labeled as dirtier than conventional fossil fuels.

 

A letter from the peace and science laureates to the EU says the law to control the environmental impact of fuels is necessary because now is the “time to transition swiftly away from fossil fuels, with a special focus on those that pollute the most,” adding that it would send a “clear signal that the European Union is committed to action that supports the rights of future generations to a healthy planet.”

 

The letter highlights the European Commission’s own scientific research which found that one of the unconventional fuel sources identified in the proposed policy, tar sands, produces an average of 23 per cent more greenhouse gas emissions than average conventional oil.

 

It is hoped the letter will restart talks about how unconventional fossil fuels such as tar sands and shale gas should be treated in the EU, after fierce Canadian, US and oil industry lobbying caused the European Commission to delay the publication of a proposal on the FQD, which was expected in September.

 

The FDQ was officially adopted in 2009 and set a target for a 6 per cent reduction in the carbon intensity of fuels used by transport by 2020, but has not yet been enforced.

 

Under the FDQ, the EU set values for the environmental impact of different fuels. Production of conventional oil was given a value of 87.5g of CO2 per megajoule of energy. In assessing the production process of less conventional fossil fuels, tar sand was rated with a value of 107g, oil shale with 131g and coal-to-liquid at 172g.