Environment groups call on IMO to reject biofuels

The intervention by a coalition of environmental organisations came as delegates meet in London for negotiations at the IMO, where member states are working to define how international shipping will meet its net-zero targets. The talks, part of ongoing greenhouse gas discussions, are expected to shape which fuels and technologies are recognised as “green” under future rules.

Groups led by Biofuelwatch and Global Forest Coalition are urging governments not to classify biofuels as a viable long-term solution. They argue that while fuels such as hydrotreated vegetable oil are being promoted as a quick win for emissions reductions, their wider environmental and social impacts risk undermining the industry’s climate ambitions.

“Biofuels are being promoted as a climate solution for shipping, but the reality on the ground tells a very different story,” said Xavier León, Member of the Latin America Program at Grain. “From Indonesia to Latin America, expanding biofuel production at the scale required by global shipping would have devastating consequences.”

Campaigners warn that scaling up production to meet global shipping demand would require vast amounts of agricultural land, intensifying pressure on forests and ecosystems.

Evidence from existing biofuel-producing regions underpins these concerns, they say. In Southeast Asia, the expansion of palm oil plantations, one of the key feedstocks for biofuels, has been a major driver of deforestation, threatening biodiversity and releasing significant amounts of stored carbon. In Latin America, increased soy cultivation for fuel has contributed to land-use change that can negate, or even exceed, the emissions savings biofuels are intended to deliver.

The groups also highlight social risks, including land grabbing, displacement of Indigenous communities and growing pressure on food systems. Diverting cropland to fuel production, they argue, could exacerbate food insecurity and price volatility in already vulnerable regions.

“As the demand for biofuels for shipping rises, the pressure on ecosystems and indigenous communities intensifies. In Indonesia, palm oil concessions overlapping with indigenous territories cover 2.26 million hectares – an area larger than the island of Bali. Biofuels are far more than a matter of energy, they are a struggle for social and ecological justice”, said Respati Bayu, Researcher at Forest Watch Indonesia.

For critics, the central concern is that biofuels may offer what they describe as an “accounting fiction” – appearing low-carbon on paper while generating significant emissions and environmental damage elsewhere in the supply chain.

“We have watched our forests disappear to fuel cars in Europe,” said Eko Yunanda, director of WALHI Riau. “We cannot now stand by while the same logic is extended to fuel the ships crossing our oceans.”

The maritime industry is increasingly exploring biofuels as a near-term compliance option, particularly because they can be used in existing engines without major modifications. But campaigners argue that reliance on such fuels could delay investment in truly zero-emission alternatives.

Instead, they are calling on governments to prioritise measures such as reduced vessel speeds and the development of propulsion technologies that do not rely on combustion.