Rome, Italy
November 13, 2007
Source:
FAO
Capturing the full potential of
biofuels means overcoming environmental and social constraints
and removing trade barriers, which are hindering the development
of a worldwide market, according to a new report released by the
Global Bioenergy Parnership (GBEP).
Potential conflicts between bioenergy production and the
protection of the environment, sustainable development, food
security of the rural poor and the economic development of
countries supplying feedstock should be urgently addressed,
according to the report “A
Review of the Current State of Bioenergy Development in G8 +5
Countries”, issued today at the 20th World Energy Congress
(WEC – Rome 2007).
“Developing bioenergy represents the most immediate and
available response to at least five key challenges and
opportunities: coping with record-high crude-oil prices; the
need for oil-importing countries to reduce their dependence on a
limited number of exporting nations by diversifying their energy
sources and suppliers; the chance for emerging economies in
tropical regions to supply the global energy market with
competitively priced liquid biofuels; meeting growing energy
demand in developing countries, in particular to support
development in rural areas; and the commitments taken to reduce
carbon-dioxide emissions as part of the battle against climate
change,” said Corrado Clini, Chairman of the GBEP and Director
General of the Italian Ministry for the Environment, Land and
Sea, at the press conference presenting the report.
“Bioenergy” Clini added, “is already a real alternative to
fossil fuels and at the same time, as demonstrated in Brazil,
can become the driving force for development in some of the
world’s poorest regions.”
Looking ahead
Bioenergy is forecast to satisfy 20 percent of global energy
demand by 2030, rising to between 30 and 40 percent by 2060.
According to the alternative scenario of the International
Energy Agency (IEA), biodiesel and ethanol may make up 7 percent
of world demand for liquid fuels in 2030, with consumption
rising fourfold to 36 million metric tonnes a year from today’s
level of about 8 million tonnes.
“Bio-ethanol derived from maize, for example, has a capacity to
reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by about 13 percent,” said
Clini. “However, this doesn’t appear to be sustainable when you
consider the farmland that’s being used for the initial
production, the quantity of water consumed, the emissions of
nitrates during the treatment and conversion processes as well
as the fact that it’s competitive only with crude oil prices
above US $80 a barrel. By contrast, bio-ethanol from sugar-cane
can cut carbon-dioxide emissions by about 90 percent and is
competitive with oil as low as US$30.”
Safeguarding food security
Alexander Müller, Assistant Director-General of
FAO’s Natural Resources
Management and Environment Department, commented: “Bioenergy
offers new growth opportunities in many rural areas of
developing countries, but it’s important to guarantee the
livelihoods and well-being of the most vulnerable. We must
ensure that the price of food does not impair the food security
of the poor. The Global Bioenergy Partnership, especially in
light of the renewed mandate received from the G8 Summit in
Germany in June, aims to promote sustainable bioenergy
development.”
“Today’s report,” Müller added, “is a survey of the production
of energy from biomass in G8 +5 countries, highlighting the
advantages and the challenges posed by one of the future’s most
promising sources of alternative energy.”
The GBEP report finds that bioenergy is already available, ready
to provide immediate solutions and further technological
advances in a relatively short time. As regards research and
development, so-called second-generation biofuels derived from
cellusoic biomass (rice husks, sugar-cane bagasse, agricultural
waste and municipal trash) or from micro-algae are likely to
start providing large amounts of ethanol and biodiesel in an
environmentally friendly way within the next 10 years. “This
growth in bioenergy needs to be carefully managed and
coordinated if we are to make the most of its benefits and
resolve its challenges,” Müller said.
The Global Bionergy Partnership (GBEP) is an international
initiative established to implement the commitments taken by the
G8 +5 Countries (Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan,
India, Italy, Mexico, Russian Federation, South Africa, the UK
and the USA) in the Gleneagles Plan of Action in 2005. Its goal
is to “support wider, cost-effective biomass and biofuels
deployment, particularly in developing countries where biomass
use is prevalent.”
It was invited by the G8 Summit in Heiligendamm, Germany, in
June 2007 to "continue its work on biofuel best practices and
take forward the successful and sustainable development of
bioenergy". The partnership is chaired by Corrado Clini,
Director General of the Italian Ministry for the Environment,
Land and Sea. FAO hosts the GBEP Secretariat, with the support
of Italy. |
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Facts &
Figures |
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Bioenergy provides about 10
percent of the world’s total
primary energy supply. Most of
this is used for heating and
cooking in the home and is
produced locally. In 2005
bioenergy represented 78 percent
of all renewable energy
produced.
About 97 percent of biofuels are
made of solid biomass. Biomass
is also used to generate gaseous
and liquid fuels, and demand has
increased significantly over the
last ten years.
China is the largest user of
biomass as a source of energy,
followed by India, the US and
Brazil.
The bioenergy share in India,
China and Mexico is decreasing,
mostly as traditional biomass is
substituted by kerosene and
liquefied petroleum gas. The
share of bioenergy in total
energy consumption is increasing
in G8 countries, especially in
Germany, Italy and the UK.
Not all biofuels are “green.”
New schemes are under way to
promote sustainability as well
as link funding to
sustainability. |
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