Biofuel policy has become highly contentious in Europe. In this paper we discuss the governance a... more Biofuel policy has become highly contentious in Europe. In this paper we discuss the governance and legitimacy aspects of the carbon and sustainabilitysystem of the UK Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), both before and after implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive. RTFO certification is of a meta-type, being built upon existing certification and labelling schemes, each of which are more or less contested by NGOs. Despite the RTFO being based on these non-state initiatives, so far the concerns of ...
German, Laura; Goetz, Ariane; Searchinger, Tim; Oliveira, Gustavo de L.T.; Tomei, Julia; Hunsberg... more German, Laura; Goetz, Ariane; Searchinger, Tim; Oliveira, Gustavo de L.T.; Tomei, Julia; Hunsberger, Carol; Weigelt, Jes: Sine Qua Nons of sustainable biofuels: Distilling implications of under-performance for national biofuel programs. In: Energy Policy.
Abstract: Biofuels have been promoted worldwide under the assumption that they can support several strategic policy goals, while mitigating associated risks. Drawing on published evidence on performance, contributing papers to this Special Section question assumptions commonly attributed to biofuels: their carbon neutrality, their positive effect on rural livelihoods, and policymakers’ ability to effectively govern for sustainability. This paper takes these findings as its starting point and asks, “What next?” for countries wishing to advance biofuels as one option for the necessary divestment from fossil fuels. Deriving recommendations for national biofuel programs from past performance is no easy task. Context, complexity, power dynamics and scaling pose significant challenges to achieving policy aims. We are nevertheless able to distill a set of sine qua nons (indispensables) for sustainable biofuel governance from the evidence and change management literatures. They are put forward not as recipes for success, but minimum conditions and “best bet” approaches requiring testing, deliberation, and refinement. Perhaps the most fundamental sine qua non is to pursue options that downscale global demand – as current levels of global energy consumption, if only in the transport sector, cannot be met by biomass-derived agrofuels in a way that meets social and environmental sustainability goals.
ABSTRACT Since 2010, Guatemala has been exporting ethanol, principally to European markets. This ... more ABSTRACT Since 2010, Guatemala has been exporting ethanol, principally to European markets. This means that Guatemalan biofuel has been certified sustainable, although this is deeply contested with NGO reports drawing attention to the negative impacts of ‘agrofuels’, particularly for marginalised communities. Guatemala therefore provides an excellent case study for examining not only the impacts of increased global demand for biofuels, but also whether sustainability, as conceptualised by the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive, can capture those issues that are salient to the Guatemalan context. Drawing on more than eighty qualitative, in-depth interviews, this paper finds that the bloc's governance framework for biofuels fails to capture many of the issues that matter most to local people in Guatemala, namely land access, trade unions and compliance with the law. This paper argues that the current framework therefore runs the risk of exacerbating the plight of Guatemala's already marginalised rural communities.
Argentina aspires to become the global equivalent of Brazil for biodiesel and is well placed to d... more Argentina aspires to become the global equivalent of Brazil for biodiesel and is well placed to do so. With alarge, efficient and export-focused agricultural sector, Argentina is the world's third largest exporter of soy and sunfloweroils. Growing global demand and, to a far lesser extent, domestic demand for biofuels is contributing to the expansion of soy production and processing in Argentina, much of which is centred around the Paraná River. The Argentine biofuelssector exhibits clustering at both the cultivation and processing levels, but is also ...
Use of bioenergy as a renewable resource is increasing in many parts of the world and can generat... more Use of bioenergy as a renewable resource is increasing in many parts of the world and can generate significant environmental, economic and social benefits if managed with due regard to sustainability constraints. This work reviews the environmental, social and economic constraints on key feedstocks for UK heat, power and transport fuel. Key sustainability constraints include greenhouse gas savings achieved for different fuels, land availability, air quality impacts and facility siting. Applying those constraints, we estimate ...
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Jun 2015
This paper summarises the evidence regarding the impact of biofuels on equity, before going on to... more This paper summarises the evidence regarding the impact of biofuels on equity, before going on to examine the equity dimensions of the most commonly used, formal methods of biofuel sustainability assessments — the EU's voluntary certification schemes. Although there has been an increased focus on the ethical dimensions of biofuels in the academic literature, equity does not yet feature in a robust way in these forms of sustainability appraisal and therefore the extent to which poverty or social inequalities are reduced or exacerbated for those affected remain unknown. It is suggested that the inclusion of multiple voices and perspectives within sustainability assessments are likely to help fill this ‘equity void’ and deliver more sustainable and equitable outcomes for people affected.
Sustainable Development of Biofuels in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2014
ABSTRACT The Central American isthmus is a region that has to date been largely overlooked in the... more ABSTRACT The Central American isthmus is a region that has to date been largely overlooked in the biofuel debate, despite several countries currently developing biofuel policies and programs, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. This chapter provides an introduction to the biofuels sector in Central America, before focusing on Guatemala, which has been identified as the strongest potential leader in Central America for the production, trade, and consumption of biofuels. This potential is primarily due to high yields of sugarcane and oil palm, although at present only ethanol is being produced on a large scale; most of this production is currently exported. Furthermore, Guatemala has no national policy to promote a domestic market and it is unlikely that one will be developed in the short-to-medium term. This has consequences for the way in which the sector is developing in Guatemala and the sustainability issues associated with the production of the principal feedstocks. This chapter concludes that biofuels in Guatemala represent an industrial strategy rather than an energy policy, a sector driven by private interests with strategic concerns for sustainability.
Biofuel policy has become highly contentious in Europe. In this paper we discuss the governance a... more Biofuel policy has become highly contentious in Europe. In this paper we discuss the governance and legitimacy aspects of the carbon and sustainabilitysystem of the UK Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO), both before and after implementation of the Renewable Energy Directive. RTFO certification is of a meta-type, being built upon existing certification and labelling schemes, each of which are more or less contested by NGOs. Despite the RTFO being based on these non-state initiatives, so far the concerns of ...
German, Laura; Goetz, Ariane; Searchinger, Tim; Oliveira, Gustavo de L.T.; Tomei, Julia; Hunsberg... more German, Laura; Goetz, Ariane; Searchinger, Tim; Oliveira, Gustavo de L.T.; Tomei, Julia; Hunsberger, Carol; Weigelt, Jes: Sine Qua Nons of sustainable biofuels: Distilling implications of under-performance for national biofuel programs. In: Energy Policy.
Abstract: Biofuels have been promoted worldwide under the assumption that they can support several strategic policy goals, while mitigating associated risks. Drawing on published evidence on performance, contributing papers to this Special Section question assumptions commonly attributed to biofuels: their carbon neutrality, their positive effect on rural livelihoods, and policymakers’ ability to effectively govern for sustainability. This paper takes these findings as its starting point and asks, “What next?” for countries wishing to advance biofuels as one option for the necessary divestment from fossil fuels. Deriving recommendations for national biofuel programs from past performance is no easy task. Context, complexity, power dynamics and scaling pose significant challenges to achieving policy aims. We are nevertheless able to distill a set of sine qua nons (indispensables) for sustainable biofuel governance from the evidence and change management literatures. They are put forward not as recipes for success, but minimum conditions and “best bet” approaches requiring testing, deliberation, and refinement. Perhaps the most fundamental sine qua non is to pursue options that downscale global demand – as current levels of global energy consumption, if only in the transport sector, cannot be met by biomass-derived agrofuels in a way that meets social and environmental sustainability goals.
ABSTRACT Since 2010, Guatemala has been exporting ethanol, principally to European markets. This ... more ABSTRACT Since 2010, Guatemala has been exporting ethanol, principally to European markets. This means that Guatemalan biofuel has been certified sustainable, although this is deeply contested with NGO reports drawing attention to the negative impacts of ‘agrofuels’, particularly for marginalised communities. Guatemala therefore provides an excellent case study for examining not only the impacts of increased global demand for biofuels, but also whether sustainability, as conceptualised by the European Union's Renewable Energy Directive, can capture those issues that are salient to the Guatemalan context. Drawing on more than eighty qualitative, in-depth interviews, this paper finds that the bloc's governance framework for biofuels fails to capture many of the issues that matter most to local people in Guatemala, namely land access, trade unions and compliance with the law. This paper argues that the current framework therefore runs the risk of exacerbating the plight of Guatemala's already marginalised rural communities.
Argentina aspires to become the global equivalent of Brazil for biodiesel and is well placed to d... more Argentina aspires to become the global equivalent of Brazil for biodiesel and is well placed to do so. With alarge, efficient and export-focused agricultural sector, Argentina is the world's third largest exporter of soy and sunfloweroils. Growing global demand and, to a far lesser extent, domestic demand for biofuels is contributing to the expansion of soy production and processing in Argentina, much of which is centred around the Paraná River. The Argentine biofuelssector exhibits clustering at both the cultivation and processing levels, but is also ...
Use of bioenergy as a renewable resource is increasing in many parts of the world and can generat... more Use of bioenergy as a renewable resource is increasing in many parts of the world and can generate significant environmental, economic and social benefits if managed with due regard to sustainability constraints. This work reviews the environmental, social and economic constraints on key feedstocks for UK heat, power and transport fuel. Key sustainability constraints include greenhouse gas savings achieved for different fuels, land availability, air quality impacts and facility siting. Applying those constraints, we estimate ...
Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Jun 2015
This paper summarises the evidence regarding the impact of biofuels on equity, before going on to... more This paper summarises the evidence regarding the impact of biofuels on equity, before going on to examine the equity dimensions of the most commonly used, formal methods of biofuel sustainability assessments — the EU's voluntary certification schemes. Although there has been an increased focus on the ethical dimensions of biofuels in the academic literature, equity does not yet feature in a robust way in these forms of sustainability appraisal and therefore the extent to which poverty or social inequalities are reduced or exacerbated for those affected remain unknown. It is suggested that the inclusion of multiple voices and perspectives within sustainability assessments are likely to help fill this ‘equity void’ and deliver more sustainable and equitable outcomes for people affected.
Sustainable Development of Biofuels in Latin America and the Caribbean, 2014
ABSTRACT The Central American isthmus is a region that has to date been largely overlooked in the... more ABSTRACT The Central American isthmus is a region that has to date been largely overlooked in the biofuel debate, despite several countries currently developing biofuel policies and programs, including Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. This chapter provides an introduction to the biofuels sector in Central America, before focusing on Guatemala, which has been identified as the strongest potential leader in Central America for the production, trade, and consumption of biofuels. This potential is primarily due to high yields of sugarcane and oil palm, although at present only ethanol is being produced on a large scale; most of this production is currently exported. Furthermore, Guatemala has no national policy to promote a domestic market and it is unlikely that one will be developed in the short-to-medium term. This has consequences for the way in which the sector is developing in Guatemala and the sustainability issues associated with the production of the principal feedstocks. This chapter concludes that biofuels in Guatemala represent an industrial strategy rather than an energy policy, a sector driven by private interests with strategic concerns for sustainability.
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Papers by Julia Tomei
Abstract:
Biofuels have been promoted worldwide under the assumption that they can support several strategic policy goals, while mitigating associated risks. Drawing on published evidence on performance, contributing papers to this Special Section question assumptions commonly attributed to biofuels: their carbon neutrality, their positive effect on rural livelihoods, and policymakers’ ability to effectively govern for sustainability. This paper takes these findings as its starting point and asks, “What next?” for countries wishing to advance biofuels as one option for the necessary divestment from fossil fuels. Deriving recommendations for national biofuel programs from past performance is no easy task. Context, complexity, power dynamics and scaling pose significant challenges to achieving policy aims. We are nevertheless able to distill a set of sine qua nons (indispensables) for sustainable biofuel governance from the evidence and change management literatures. They are put forward not as recipes for success, but minimum conditions and “best bet” approaches requiring testing, deliberation, and refinement. Perhaps the most fundamental sine qua non is to pursue options that downscale global demand – as current levels of global energy consumption, if only in the transport sector, cannot be met by biomass-derived agrofuels in a way that meets social and environmental sustainability goals.
Abstract:
Biofuels have been promoted worldwide under the assumption that they can support several strategic policy goals, while mitigating associated risks. Drawing on published evidence on performance, contributing papers to this Special Section question assumptions commonly attributed to biofuels: their carbon neutrality, their positive effect on rural livelihoods, and policymakers’ ability to effectively govern for sustainability. This paper takes these findings as its starting point and asks, “What next?” for countries wishing to advance biofuels as one option for the necessary divestment from fossil fuels. Deriving recommendations for national biofuel programs from past performance is no easy task. Context, complexity, power dynamics and scaling pose significant challenges to achieving policy aims. We are nevertheless able to distill a set of sine qua nons (indispensables) for sustainable biofuel governance from the evidence and change management literatures. They are put forward not as recipes for success, but minimum conditions and “best bet” approaches requiring testing, deliberation, and refinement. Perhaps the most fundamental sine qua non is to pursue options that downscale global demand – as current levels of global energy consumption, if only in the transport sector, cannot be met by biomass-derived agrofuels in a way that meets social and environmental sustainability goals.