| GBEP presents GHG methodological framework at Copenhagen and meets with IRENA
The Global Bioenergy Partnership (GBEP) was present at the Copenhagen climate change conference with a side event to present its common methodological framework for reporting and comparing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from bioenergy. The event highlighted how bioenergy is leading the way in the application of life cycle analysis (LCA) for GHG emissions, a key step in the deployment of sustainable clean energy technologies.
Corrado Clini, GBEP Chair, welcomed participants to the side event by emphasising how the significance of new GBEP methodological framework lies in the fact that it will focus attention of the potential for bioenergy to contribute to climate change mitigation, in an agreed, measurable way.
Ben Zaitchik, of the US Department of State’s Office of Global Change and Co-Chair of the GBEP Task Force on GHG Methodologies, provided an overview of the 16 months of work developing the LCA checklist and an update of testing of the “Version Zero” of the framework. Alexander Mueller, Assistant Director- General of FAO’s Natural Resources Management and Environment Department, presented the FAO climate change mitigation programme, which aims to promote sustainable low-emission agriculture, forestry and fishery activities in developing countries. The programme, which will create a global database on current and projected GHG emissions in land and agriculture, will closely relate to GBEP's work.
Ana Carolina Avzaradel from Brazil’s Ministry of Science and Technology presented her country’s input to the GBEP methodology, especially as regards LCAs for the production of biofuels as compared with that of fossil fuels. Brazil is also committed to testing the framework. Melinda Kimble, Co-Chair of the GBEP Task Force and Senior Vice President of the United Nations Foundation, compared with GBEP methodology with two others used to assess bioenergy in El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.
Strong commitment to GBEP was formally reaffirmed by Stefania Prestigiacomo, Italy’s Environment Minister, while at the COP 15. The partnerhsip, which Italy has been supporting since its inception in 2006, is a key framework for ensuring implementation of clean technologies for sustainable bioenergy and achieving reductions in related GHG emissions, she noted.
While at Copenhagen, the GBEP Secretariat met with Hélène Pelosse, Interim Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) for a first face-to-face discussion about strengthening co-operation between the two organisations and avoiding overlap or duplication of efforts. IRENA, backed by 137 signatory states and the European Union, aspires to become the main driving force for promoting a rapid transition towards the widespread and sustainable use of renewable energy on a global scale.
The two sides agreed to enhance exchanges of information and to work on increasing collaboration. Ms. Pelosse said that GBEP’s work would be used as the basis for IRENA’s future work in the field of bioenergy. Ms. Pelosse was formally invited to attend the next GBEP Steering Committee meeting in Tunisia in May 2010.
Presentations from the event are available on the GBEP website.
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