The role of bioenergy in a climate-changing world

Journal Article · Fri Feb 24 00:00:00 EST 2017 · Environmental Development

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envdev.2017.02.008· OSTI ID:1389736

Souza, Glaucia Mendes ^[1]; Ballester, Maria Victoria R. ^[2]; de Brito Cruz, Carlos Henrique ^[3]; Chum, Helena ^[4]; Dale, Bruce ^[5]; Dale, Virginia H. ^[6]; Fernandes, Erick C. M. ^[7]; Foust, Thomas D.  ^[4]; Karp, Angela ^[8]; Lynd, Lee ^[9]; Filho, Rubens Maciel ^[10]; Milanez, Artur ^[11]; Nigro, Francisco ^[2]; Osseweijer, Patricia ^[12]; Verdade, Luciano M. ^[2]; Victoria, Reynaldo L. ^[2]; Van der Wielen, Luuk ^[13]

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1. Univ. de Sao Paulo, Sao Paulo (Brazil)
2. Univ. de Sao Paulo (Brazil)
3. FAPESP and Physics Institute, Unicamp (Brazil)
4. National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States)
5. Michigan State Univ., East Lansing, MI (United States)
6. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
7. The World Bank, Washington, D.C. (United States)
8. Rothamsted Research, Herts (United Kingdom)
9. Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH (United States)
10. FEQ, Unicamp (Brazil)
11. Banco Nacional do Desenvolvimento (Brazil)
12. Delft Univ. of Technology (The Netherlands)
13. BE-Basic (Brazil)

Bioenergy has been under intense scrutiny over the last ten years with significant research efforts in many countries taking place to define and measure sustainable practices. We describe here the main challenges and policy issues, and provide policy recommendations for scaling up sustainable bioenergy approaches globally. The 2016 Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) will not reach even global Green House Gas (GHG) emission targets of 2oC. Sustainable biomass production can make a significant contribution. Substantive evidence exists that many bioenergy cropping systems can bring multiple benefits and off-set environmental problems associated with fossil fuels, intensive food production and urbanization. We provide evidence that there are many approaches to land use for bioenergy expansion that do not lead to competition for food or other needs, We should focus on how to manage theses approaches on a synergistic basis and how to reduce tradeoffs at landscape scales. Priorities for successful synergies between bioenergy and food security include integrated resource management designed to improve both food security and access to bioenergy, investments in technology, rural extension, and innovations that build capacity and infrastructure, promotion of stable prices to incentivize local production and use of double cropping and flex crops (plants grown for both food and non-food markets) that provide food and energy as well as other services. The sustainable production of biomass requires appropriate policies to secure long-term investment for support to improve crop productivity and also to ensure environmental as well as economic and social benefits of bioenergy cropping systems, without compromising food security. Continuous support for cropping, infrastructure, agricultural management and related policies is needed to foster positive synergies between food crops and bioenergy production. In comparison to fossil fuels biofuels have many positive environmental benefits. Potential negative impacts caused by land-use change and agriculture intensification can be mitigated by agroecological zoning, best management practices, the use of eco-hydrology and biodiversity-friendly concepts at field, watershed and landscape scales. Global climate and environmental changes related to the use of fossil fuels and inequitable development make it unethical not to pursue more equitable energy development that includes bioenergy. To achieve sustainable development, competitiveness and costs of bioenergy production need to be addressed in a manner that considers not only economic gains, but also development of local knowledge and social and environmental benefits.

• Research Organization: National Renewable Energy Lab. (NREL), Golden, CO (United States); Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Sustainable Transportation Office. Bioenergy Technologies Office
• Grant/Contract Number: AC36-08GO28308; AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1389736
• Alternate ID(s): OSTI ID: 1408030
• Report Number(s): NREL/JA-5100-68329
• Journal Information: Environmental Development, Vol. 23, Issue C; ISSN 2211-4645
• Publisher: Elsevier
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

09 BIOMASS FUELS
54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
bioenergy
food security
energy security
environmental security
climate change
sustainable development
landscapes