Methodological framework established to ease comparisons of bioenergy GHG emissions

The Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Methodologies Task Force of the Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) has made rapid progress designing a common methodological framework for lifecycle analysis (LCA) of GHG emissions associated with biofuel production, conversion and use. Meanwhile, its Task Force on Sustainability is due to continue the delicate but crucial task of defining bioenergy sustainability criteria and indicators.

The work of the two Task Forces is critical because the GBEP is a unique international forum where the governments of major developed and developing countries gather along with leading institutions to reach a consensus on delicate topics related to bioenergy such as emission reductions and sustainability.

Climate change, for example, is a global phenomenon and efforts to reduce emissions locally – and to measure such efforts – need to be harmonised so that comparisons can be made. Biofuels have great potential to reduce GHG emissions but their effectiveness depends on how they are produced, transported and used and how land use, for example, is managed.

The GBEP Task Force tackling this question has succeeded in defining all the factors to be taken into consideration when assessing GHG emissions as compared with use of fossil fuels, dividing them into 10 areas or checkboxes. After covering introductory information such as which GHGs are included in the evaluation and the source of the biomass (whether or not from waste material), the other areas regard

•    land-use changes due to bioenergy production
•    biomass feedstock production on farms and in forests
•    by-products and co-products
•    transport of biomass
•    processing into fuel
•    transport of fuel
•    fuel use
•    comparison with replaced fuel

GBEP partners are now planning to test the draft framework, using it to review their own methodologies, and share results. A report on the work of the Task Force will be prepared by the end of March 2009, which will form part of the input to the GBEP report to the G8 Summit 2009. It will include good practice guidance to help anyone interested in using the framework.

Meanwhile, progress is due to accelerate on establishing science-based sustainability criteria and indicators for bioenergy. This is a challenging and complex project, not least because of the wide range of views held and the sensitive nature of this issue.

An initial set of sustainability criteria has already been identified, divided into four headings – “environmental”, “economic”, “social” and “energy security”. Partners have also agreed on a text defining the scope, purpose and use of the criteria and indicators. This included the important caveat that they should not “be applied so as to limit trade in bioenergy in a manner inconsistent with multilateral trade obligations” and stated that the Task Force’s work was to “provide relevant, practical, science-based, voluntary sustainability criteria and indicators to guide any analysis undertaken of bioenergy at the domestic level” and to facilitate “the sustainable development of bioenergy”.

To help speed up the process, the Task Force decided to use neutral language to describe the criteria on condition that directionality would be explored during the iterative process of developing the criteria and indicators. Detailed discussion will continue with the goal of preparing a progress report in April 2009, which will also form part of the GBEP report to the G8 Summit.

Details of the Task Forces’ work can be found in the "Events" section of the GBEP website.

 

Back to menu of articles

 

Leggi le notizie in italiano

home