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How can land-use modelling tools inform bioenergy policies?
- Source :
- Interface Focus, Interface Focus, 2011, 1 (2), pp.212-223. ⟨10.1098/rsfs.2010.0023⟩
- Publication Year :
- 2011
- Publisher :
- HAL CCSD, 2011.
-
Abstract
- Targets for bioenergy have been set worldwide to mitigate climate change. Although feedstock sources are often ambiguous, pledges in European nations, the United States and Brazil amount to more than 100 Mtoe of biorenewable fuel production by 2020. As a consequence, the biofuel sector is developing rapidly, and it is increasingly important to distinguish bioenergy options that can address energy security and greenhouse gas mitigation from those that cannot. This paper evaluates how bioenergy production affects land-use change (LUC), and to what extent land-use modelling can inform sound decision-making. We identified local and global internalities and externalities of biofuel development scenarios, reviewed relevant data sources and modelling approaches, identified sources of controversy about indirect LUC (iLUC) and then suggested a framework for comprehensive assessments of bioenergy. Ultimately, plant biomass must be managed to produce energy in a way that is consistent with the management of food, feed, fibre, timber and environmental services. Bioenergy production provides opportunities for improved energy security, climate mitigation and rural development, but the environmental and social consequences depend on feedstock choices and geographical location. The most desirable solutions for bioenergy production will include policies that incentivize regionally integrated management of diverse resources with low inputs, high yields, co-products, multiple benefits and minimal risks of iLUC. Many integrated assessment models include energy resources, trade, technological development and regional environmental conditions, but do not account for biodiversity and lack detailed data on the location of degraded and underproductive lands that would be ideal for bioenergy production. Specific practices that would maximize the benefits of bioenergy production regionally need to be identified before a global analysis of bioenergy-related LUC can be accomplished.
- Subjects :
- [SDV.SA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Agricultural sciences
MISCANTHUS
AGRICULTURE
Natural resource economics
020209 energy
Biomedical Engineering
Biophysics
Biomass
Bioengineering
02 engineering and technology
010501 environmental sciences
7. Clean energy
01 natural sciences
Biochemistry
12. Responsible consumption
Ecosystem services
Biomaterials
ENERGY
ORGANIC-CARBON
Bioenergy
BENEFITS
0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering
Production (economics)
feedstocks
SWITCHGRASS
indirect land-use change
0105 earth and related environmental sciences
2. Zero hunger
GREENHOUSE-GAS EMISSIONS
CLIMATE-CHANGE
Land use
business.industry
Environmental resource management
Energy security
Articles
15. Life on land
biofuels
NITROGEN
13. Climate action
greenhouse gas
Greenhouse gas
BIOFUEL FEEDSTOCK
environmental economics
Business
ecosystem services
Externality
Biotechnology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Interface Focus, Interface Focus, 2011, 1 (2), pp.212-223. ⟨10.1098/rsfs.2010.0023⟩
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....07f4f0b81a6d630d2ea1a9b110f2be2b