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Economic Opportunities for Developing Countries |
Press Release
U.N. Panel Report Confirms Potential for Significant GHG Reductions from Biofuels
October 19, 2009 - Toronto - The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance (GRFA) today responded to a report on biofuels produced by the United Nation’s International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management.
The report, “Towards Sustainable Production and Use of Resources: Assessing Biofuels”, asserts that more research and development is needed to assess the life-cycle impacts and benefits of biofuels, while confirming the potential for significant GHG reductions for the use of biofuels.
While the GRFA agrees with these elements of the report, it notes that the report only considers current generation biofuels and does not paint a true picture of the significant efficiency gains and greenhouse gas (GHG) reductions already demonstrated from emerging developments in the industry.
“The report focuses on current generation biofuels and does not take into account the massive benefits of advanced biofuels, which hold an even greater and verifiable decline in emissions reductions especially as the carbon footprint of conventional gasoline increases,” said GRFA spokesperson Bliss Baker.
The Report confirms that life-cycle assessments of biofuels have demonstrated significant GHG savings compared to fossil fuels, noting that ethanol from corn can generate up to 60% GHG reductions, ethanol from wheat up to 90% and biodiesel from rape seed up to 85%.
The GRFA fundamentally disagrees, however, with the Panel’s assertion that potential GHG impacts from “Indirect Land Use Change” (ILUC) could lead to greater carbon emissions than those saved by substituting fossil fuels in vehicles.
“The current state of land use change science is inconclusive and no consensus exists on how best to analyze the potential indirect land use impacts of expanding biofuels production,” said Baker. “It is critical that the debate is grounded in reliable data, sound science and transparent analysis.”
“Furthermore, such measurements should be the same for biofuels and conventional oil and gasoline in order to ensure a level playing field. It is unfathomable to impose ILUC impacts on biofuels without applying the same convention and analyses to crude oil, especially as the environmental footprint of the oil industry from off-shore mining and tar sands continues to grow,” added Baker.
Andrew Makenete, President of the Southern African Biofuels Association, noted that another short-coming of the report is that the benefits of biofuels for developing nations are not adequately addressed in the report.
“Biofuels hold huge potential for African countries to become producers of fuel as opposed to importers of crude, and to generate much needed economic development and prosperity,” said Makenete. “With the right strategies and assistance from bodies such as the United Nations and the World Bank, biofuels represent an enormous opportunity to help the world’s poorest countries achieve their full potential”.
To date, the biofuels industry has worked closely with government officials in a number of jurisdictions to ensure that verifiable GHG reductions are achieved through the blending of biofuels. The European Union has adopted a law on renewable energy recently that contains a range of sustainability criteria on biofuels that will guarantee minimum GHG emissions savings. The American renewable fuels industry has also worked closely with Congress to ensure a minimum GHG reduction from U.S. grain ethanol and the Canadian industry is currently working with Canadian government officials to guarantee a minimum GHG reduction from advanced biofuels in Canada. It is important to note that these policies are being developed with the participation of industry while utilizing sound science as a basis for analysis. In that regard, the GRFA supports the UN’s call for a sound scientific approach to policy development on biofuels.
The Global Renewable Fuels Alliance is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting biofuels friendly policies internationally. Alliance members represent over 65% of the global biofuels production from 44 countries. Through the development of new technologies and best practices, the Alliance members are committed to producing renewable fuels with the smallest possible footprint.
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Contact: Mr. Bliss Baker
Work: - (Country code “1”) 416-847-6497
Mobile: 647-309-0058
www.globalrfa.org
Email: info@globalrfa.org