6.1 Introduction

As pointed out in Chap. 1, there is a lively debate about the future of transport biofuels. In this debate, many matters have been raised. Some of these refer to the question of whether biofuels do what they have been promised to do, e. g. increase energy security and tackle climate change. Others refer to the side effects of trans­port biofuel production, for instance on biodiversity, natural resources such as water and food prices. And there are questions that relate to what governments should do about transport biofuels and how to proceed with specific feedstocks: should they be processed in biorefineries, or rather be converted into one biofuel?

In this chapter, we try to answer several of the questions that have frequently been raised in the transport biofuel debate. In doing so, we will draw on the previous chapters.

The frequently asked questions that we try to answer in this chapter are:

• Should the focus be on one-fuel output or on multi-output biorefineries?

• Can transport biofuels significantly contribute to energy security?

• What is the effect of transport biofuel production on food security and food prices?

• Is expanding biofuel production a good way to tackle climate change?

• What is the effect of biofuel production on nature conservation?

• How to use natural resources in biofuel production in a sustainable way?

• What government policy should one aim at for biofuels?