Bioenergy
Since the discovery of fire, bioenergy - the use of organic materials
to provide heating, lighting and motive power - has been one of
the most dominant sources of energy worldwide. Today, all forms
of biomass together provide about 14% of the world primary energy
supplies, and represent about 80% of the global renewable energy
supply. In some developing countries the share of biomass is as
high as 90% of energy supply, with the use of traditional
bioenergy for cooking and heating prevailing.
There is increasing interest in developing and developed countries
in modern bioenergy or biofuels.
This is due to the many environmental,
social and economic advantages linked to bioenergy at times
when carbon constraints and high crude oil prices limit further
growth in the use of fossil fuels.
Already today, we can see huge investments going into the sector:
about $2.66 billion went into the bioenergy market in 2005. $1
billion went into biofuels, and reached $21 billion in 2006 (SEFI
Finance report).
But also governments are creating the frameworks for this new
market to develop: countries around the world are putting forward
blending targets that will spur a sustained
world wide demand and supply in years to come.
Some analysts estimate that by 2020 up to 20% of mineral fuels
consumed worldwide could be substituted with biofuels.
However, no energy source is without drawbacks - it is urgent
to ensure that we do not add new environmental and social problems
while trying to solve old ones. A comprehensive set of policies
needs to be put in place to assure that bioenergy is produced
in manners that ensure sustainability, ie. through
an internationally agreed system that guarantees that bioenergy
commodities are of a known pedigree and are produced in a sustainable
manner, without destroying the sector's prospects. Achieving
this delicate balance is a challenge and more work is needed to
understand what such a policy mix would look like. Enforcement
of environmental laws and regulations and institutional capacity
building go hand in hand with this, and transfer of experience
is needed - South-South, North-South and South-North - with a
particular need for learning networks among developing countries.
Roundtable on Bioenergy Enterprise in Developing Regions:
A number of new feedstocks are being tested and used, amongst
which Jatropha. Jatropha is receiving heightened attention due
to its ability to grow (or rather ‘survive’) on marginal
land and with limited water consumption. UNEP has set up a Roundtable
to develop and disseminate guidance on design, implementation
and evaluation of socially responsible, sustainable and economically
viable biofuel projects using Jatropha. The work of the Roundtable
will focus on:
- plant and technological requirements, challenges in the
production and conversion phases and ways to address them;
- business models and ways to help smallholders to get organised,
including taking into account environmental and social co-benefits
into classical cost-benefit analyses;
- barriers and ways to overcome them (financial, agronomical
and technological, and political)
UNEPs bioenergy programme is therefore structured around the following
priority areas:
-Sustainable Development impacts and synergies
-Resource Assessment
-Market creation and policy interventions
-Business development and finance.
