The scope of this background paper for the EEA Expert meeting “Life-Cycle Assessment Methodologies for Greenhouse-Gas Emissions of bioenergy: Beyond biofuels” held in Copenhagen on June 10, 2008 is to present general issues and key questions regarding methodological and data requirements of life-cycle greenhouse-gas balances of bioenergy.
Though bioenergy is seen by some to be a panacea for a range of energy, environment and poverty problems, the sustainability performance of bioenergy – and biofuels - depends on where and how it is produced, processed, and used.
The sustainable potential of bioenergy is a function of developments in agriculture and forestry, as well as the overall dynamics of the food, feed and fiber markets. Its potential is further depending on the impact of global climate change, and the regionally differentiated adaptation measures to adjust to that change. One has to face a complex interaction of various driving forces, and massive feedback loops which make projections a matter of large uncertainty.
Still, current science allows to depict the order of magnitude to which bioenergy could sustainably contribute to the world’s energy needs without compromising food, feed, and fiber requirements.
A low figure can be derived from pessimistic assumptions on agricultural productivity, moderate energy and high agricultural commodity prices, and severe climate change impacts on soils, and precipitation patterns. The high figure assumes optimistic values for productivity increases as well as high energy and agricultural commodity prices.
Comparing the low and the high estimate of the longer-term global sustainable bioenergy potential, with current and projected total global energy supply needs as projected in IEA’s World Energy Outlook underlines the opportunities which sustainable bioenergy offers.
The dominant factors determining cost, environmental, biodiversity and social impacts of bioenergy (including biofuels) depend on the feedstock used, where and how it is grown and the manner in which it is processed, the greenhouse gas balance, energy yields and environmental impacts of bioenergy differs significantly.
Life-cycle analysis (LCA) is needed to determine the positive and negative impacts of bioenergy, especially regarding greenhouse-gas emissions, especially in order to take into account direct and indirect land use change effects in Europe and across the world.

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