Europeans want renewables but don’t want to pay for it
In Belgium, Europeans want more renewable energy but are concerned about how much it will cost. Fortunately, the EU has a homegrown solution: renewable ethanol. A new EuroPulse survey of 26,000 people across 24 EU Member States and the UK finds that Europeans favor an energy transition away from imported fossil oil and toward locally produced renewable energy, but they want governments to make sure it is affordable.
For example, according to the survey Europeans still strongly oppose (by 46% to 27%) a ban on new petrol and diesel cars by 2035. The survey also found that Europeans consider energy independence and air quality to be more important than fighting climate change.
It’s clear that Europeans want flexibility in the energy transition, and that’s where domestically produced energy such as EU renewable ethanol has the most to offer. It’s a ready-made, homegrown energy source that reduces greenhouse-gas emissions from petrol and hybrid cars by more than 80% on average.
EU renewable ethanol is produced sustainably from multipurpose crops grown by European farmers; it causes no deforestation and its production also creates food, animal feed and biogenic CO2. Several European Commissioners, including the Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, have cited renewable ethanol as an important strategic asset for EU energy independence.
Category: Fuels
