According to the IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land, achieving the 1.5°C objective will require substantial carbon capture and storage, on top of large emission reductions. A key role is recognised for integrated bioenergy solutions that allow for food, feed and energy production while contributing to landscape restoration and climate targets. 

Modern bioenergy has an enormous role to play both in mitigating GHG emissions from the displacement of fossil fuels. Indeed, most climate mitigation pathways include deployment of modern bioenergy technology. The 2017 IEA  Technology Roadmap on Sustainable Bioenergy states that ‘modern bioenergy plays an essential role in the IEA 2°C Scenario (2DS), providing nearly 17% of final energy demand in 2060 compared to 4.5% in 2015’.  

This is especially the case in the transport sector, where the IEA’s Renewables 2019 reports that biofuels currently represent 90% of renewable energy in transport. What is more, consumption will continue to grow, with biofuel use set to increase by 25% during the period 2019-2024. More favourable market conditions and policies are required to further increase biofuel output, up to a further 20% in the accelerated case scenario. Currently, most biofuel mandates require blending levels of 10% or less; to encourage higher biofuel blending levels, there is a requirement for vehicle testing, greater use of drop-in fuels and frameworks that ensure biofuel sustainability. Asia will play a main role in the development of bioenergy in the next 5 years, considering that China leads the forecast for ethanol production growth, with output more than tripling to 11 billion litres. 

Last but not least, according to the recently published World Energy Outlook (WEO 2019), up to some 20% of today’s gas demand will be replaced by biomass co-firing equipment to reduce emissions from existing coal-fired plants and by low-carbon biomethane from organic wastes and residues. 

Along with the unequivocal potential for bioenergy, the role of sustainability planning is key. The multiple pressures on land, and consequential environmental impacts, require proper management, especially where afforestation and reforestation are promoted for carbon capture and storage. The GBEP good practices on this and the use of the indicators developed by GBEP to assess the sustainability of bioenergy are relevant tools in this regard.