Page 12 - CIFOR AR2011

Bioenergy, sustainability and

trade-offs

Biodiesel has been heralded as a green alternative to

fossil fuels, but a CIFOR study has found that the carbon

released from land conversion for biofuel production

may take decades or even centuries to reverse, raising

serious questions about sustainability.

‘It really matters how you produce biofuels and what

land you grow it on as to whether you are going to get

climate change benefits,’ said CIFOR Principal Scientist

Louis Verchot.

‘Biofuels that result in the conversion of natural

ecosystems are never going to be emission efficient.

This study argues for appropriate spatial planning and

being aware that anything that you do in the name of

the atmosphere could have unanticipated consequences

unless you look at the whole production system.’

The research finding is part of a study, funded by

the European Commission, looking not only at the

climate change implications of bioenergy, but also at

the social and environmental implications of bioenergy

development. CIFOR scientists and partners are studying

the effectiveness of policies and regulations, with

special emphasis on measures governing access to

lands converted to biofuel production and the negative

impacts on natural forests and local people making

a living from those lands. The project has focused on

Brazil, Ghana, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico and Zambia.

Throughout 2011, the project involved a wide range of

stakeholders in a process of outreach and dissemination

of research results. The findings about biofuel’s ‘carbon

debt’ made a splash with media worldwide. Meetings

with European parliamentarians, civil society and

government ministries demonstrated the value of the

research and the potential application of policy lessons

to countries beyond the project zone. In August, the

Southern African Development Community gathered to

discuss the impacts of bioenergy development on land-

use change, rural livelihoods and national economies

in southern Africa. In September, stakeholders from

Southeast Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America

met to exchange their own experiences on biofuel

crop development.

‘Bioenergy development has implications for land

tenure, for food security, for livelihoods and for the

environment,’ Verchot said. ‘By building our knowledge

about what works and what does not, and by sharing

that knowledge through a web of stakeholder networks,

we are more likely to develop bioenergy policies that are

effective for both producer and consumer countries.’