Indirect effects of biofuel production. Overview prepared for GBEP

May 2011

This report was prepared to provide input to discussion on the indirect effects of biofuel production and consumption in the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) Its aim is to provide an up-to-date insight into the science relating to ILUC from bioenergy: the mechanisms that cause ILUC; the various approaches to quantifying ILUC; the extent to which these approaches converge or diverge (and why); and the various approaches that are being developed to mitigate ILUC. In order to provide an up-to-date insight into the science of ILUC, this report is structured as follows: Chapter 1 gives a general introduction into the mechanisms that cause indirect effects and discusses the key characteristics of such indirect effects. It lays the foundation for a more detailed analysis of ILUC in subsequent chapters. Chapter 2 reviews some of the key efforts to quantify the indirect effects of bioenergy production. It explains what the main approaches are to quantify indirect effects and quantitatively reviews a selection of existing ILUC quantification work. This quantitative review does not merely compare thedifferences in outcomes but aims to explain those differences by looking at the underlying assumptions in more detail. This report thereby does not aim to identify the correct number for ILUC but aims to generate an understanding of what causes the studies to find different numbers, and what therefore are the key parameters that determine the size of ILUC. This again provides important insights for GBEP indicators for indirect effects. Chapter 3 reviews the mitigation options for unwanted indirect effects. It thereby provides an insight into what measures can be taken to prevent unwanted indirect effects from bioenergy production, over different time scales, by different actors.

By: B. Dehue, S. Cornelissen, D. Peters

 
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