A recent program under the name Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) laid out a rule that demanded fuel suppliers adhere to its 2.5% biofuel utilization for the good of the environment. The program plan would increase that requirement to 5% by 2010, allowing the fuel mixture pumped from gas stations to UK vehicles to contribute to the reduction of 2.5 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emission every year.

The plan has been implemented since yesterday, and it came under a hail of flak from political and charitable groups alike. They believe that the move of UK's RTFO may do more harm than good for the environment and the people.

Right now, the program is costing taxpayers as much as GBP 500 million (US$ 1 million) per year, and may force 60 million people out of their own land and homes to make way for biofuel-centric plantations.

Why? Because what we've got here is a double dilemma: the biofuel used as mixture to the original motor fuel mostly comes from rice and grass. What that means is that cultivation of rice will have to be split between food and fuel. It's likely that it will cause the price of crops to rise, as the demand for them increases.

It can even cause more harm to Earth than was thought probable: rainforests are being cleared right now to make way for fertile fields in which to plant biofuel compatible crops - all in the interest of meeting the increased demand. "Right now, rainforests are being destroyed to make way for biofuel crops in places like Indonesia," confirmed Greenpeace's Belinda Fletcher, a forests campaigner.

Now that's like a whole oxygen factory and carbon dioxide filtration plant removed in one fell swoop - and likely the same one that's been battling the imbalance of greenhouse gases for ages.

Deforestation accounts for a fifth of the greenhouse gas generation. "This destruction leads to massive greenhouse-gas emissions and completely undermines the point of these so-called green fuels," she added.

"If rainforest gets chopped down, it's gone forever," said Oxfam's policy adviser Robert Bailey. The development charity organization also was concerned over the rise of food prices. A good 30% of the recent food price inflation can be directly attributed to biofuels, claimed the International Food Policy Research Institute.

The World Bank reported that the price of food has increased by 83% over the last three years, and RTFO isn't going to make it any sweeter for those already finding it hard to bring three square meals a day to the table.

Friends of Earth biofuels campaigner, Kenneth Richter, suggests that the rule be dropped in favor for a better solution: improving public modes of transport and fuel efficiency in vehicles.