GEF-funded research project to study sustainable production of liquid biofuels

UNEP, FAO and UNIDO launched in Paris on April 16 and 17 a targeted research project on biofuels, funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).

Over the next 22 months, the project ‘Assessments and Guidelines for Sustainable Liquid Biofuels Production in Developing Countries’ will identify and fully assess innovative, cost-effective and sustainable systems for the production of liquid biofuels in developing countries for transportation and stationary applications.

The main partners in the project include internationally renowned research institutes from the developed and the developing world, which will contribute to the work of the different project components: Greenhouse Gases and Energy Life Cycle Assessments, Economics, Environment, Social/Food, 2nd Generation, Fuel/Vehicle Compatibility, Stationary Applications, and Scale Up and Integration.

A full work plan is being developed as part of the inception phase of the project and will be presented to GBEP Partners at the next GBEP Sustainability Task Force meeting, due in July. The biofuel settings selected for the project will be described as well as the approach taken for consistently studying them in all the components listed above. An outline of the research activities, deliverables and timing for these will also be presented.

This project may provide an excellent opportunity to further flesh out some of the issues that may be flagged for further research in the environmental and social working groups of the GBEP Sustainability Task Force.

The GEF is a global partnership among 178 countries, international institutions, non-governmental organisations and the private sector to address global environmental issues while supporting national sustainable development initiatives. It provides grants for projects related to six focal areas: biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer and persistent organic pollutants. More information is available at the GEF website.

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