Future Bioenergy and Sustainable Land Use

Future Bioenergy and Sustainable Land Use

By Schubert, Schellnhuber et al., German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU)

'The new WBGU report shows that a sustainable use of bioenergy is possible and outlines how opportunities can be exploited while at the same time minimizing risks.'
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Environment Programme

$146.00
Hardback

December 2009 • 392 pages • 270 x 190mm • ISBN 9781844078417

Because of the major opportunities and risks associated with it, and the complexity of the subject, bioenergy policy has in a short time become a challenging political task for regulators and planners - a task that can only be accomplished through worldwide cooperation and the creation of an international framework. WBGU's central message is that the sustainable potential of bioenergy, which can be tapped all over the world, should be utilized - provided that threats to sustainability are avoided. In particular, the use of bioenergy must not endanger food security or the goals of nature conservation and climate change mitigation.

'Biofuels have been represented by some as a silver bullet to the climate change threat, and by others as a fatal mistake set to destroy forests and increase hunger; they are neither. Sane and sensibly developed they offer a chance to reduce emissions, generate employment and diversify rural livelihoods. But widespread commercialisation without proper sustainability standards could prove a disaster, causing more environmental and human harm than good. The new WBGU report shows that a sustainable use of bioenergy is possible and outlines how opportunities can be exploited while at the same time minimizing risks.'
Achim Steiner, UN Under-Secretary General and Executive Director, UN Environment Programme

'Occasionally a review book lands on the desk that you know is going to become a constant source of reference.One that you will find yourself referring to again and again. Five stars.'
En-Agri

CONTENTS

1. Introduction

2. Motives for Deploying Bioenergy

3. Sustainability Constraints Upon Bioenergy

4. Bioenergy, Land Use and Energy Systems: Situation and Trends

5. Competing uses

6. Modelling Global Energy Crop Potential

7. Biomass Cultivation and Conversion to Energy

8. Optimizing Bioenergy Integration and Deployment in Energy Systems

9. Sustainable Biomass Production and Bioenergy Deployment: A Synthesis

10. Global Bioenergy Policy

11. Research Recommendations

12. Recommendations for Action

References

Glossary

ABOUT THE AUTHOR(S)

The German Advisory Council on Global Change (WBGU) comprises 9 leading experts working on issues of global environmental change.

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Related Subject Areas
Energy
Natural Resource Management
Agriculture and Food