The biofuels market has come under fire from another charity which claims that biofuels are "wreaking social and environmental havoc and in many cases actually exacerbating climate change." The UK based charity, Christian Aid, today (17th August) called for a radical overhaul of governments’ multi-billion dollar support for biofuels, following the publication of its report 'Growing Pains'.

"Vast sums of European and American taxpayers’ money are being used to prop up industries which are fuelling hunger, severe human rights abuses and environmental destruction  – and failing to deliver the benefits claimed for them," says the report’s author Eliot Whittington, a Christian Aid climate advocacy specialist.

"The current approach to biofuels has been disastrous. Policymakers should urgently re-think their entire approach to biofuels, to ensure that only crops and fuels which will achieve their social and environmental goals receive government backing.

"Major reforms are also vital to prevent the damage already caused by biofuel plantations in Latin American and Asian countries from being repeated in Africa."

However, the report nods to small scale production of biofuels and suggests that this is the way forward for the sector.

"Christian Aid believes that the best approach to biofuels is to grow them on a small scale and process them locally to provide energy for people in the surrounding community,’ adds Mr Whittington. ‘This can also increase rural people’s incomes and has the potential to actually increase soil fertility and moisture retention, without compromising people’s food security."