An essential
prerequisite for the implementation of alternative
energy crop and agroforestry schemes is to
ensure their ecological, economic and social
sustainability. Practical mechanisms for defining,
monitoring and rewarding good sustainability
practice are beginning to emerge both locally
and globally. Ensuring the ‘renewable’
status of bioenergy will mean tailoring these
mechanisms to each bioenergy production system,
irrespective of location, scale or technology.
Work
package 3 will coordinate activities on the
sustainability analysis of alternative land
use. It will integrate the most recent understanding
of the social and environmental management
sciences to ensure sustainable use of resources
while providing optimum economic and community
benefits. Please click here
in order to view the 'Project
Implementation Plan' including
all 'Work Packages'.
Current
European Biofuel-Sustainability Initiatives
For
biofuels to be deemed environmentally compatible,
it is necessary to demonstrate that they are
produced on an environmentally sustainable
basis, and that they contribute positively
to climate change mitigation (COM, 2006).
Currently, sustainability initiatives for
biofuels exist in the United Kingdom, The
Netherlands and Germany as well as on EU level.
The
Energy Center at the Swiss Federal Technical
Institute in Lausanne (EPFL) is coordinating
a multi-stakeholder effort, the Roundtable
on Sustainable Biofuels (RSB), to develop
draft global standards for sustainable biofuels
production.
RSB
addresses the question of 'How can we ensure
that biofuels are truly a friend to the environment
and society, and not a foe?' - which is currently
of prime importance for the development of
biofuels, energy crops and all biomass use
in general - and therefore also at the heart
of the COMPETE project.
On August 13th, 2008, the Roundtable's Steering Board announced a new draft of sustainability standards for sustainable biofuels, developed over the past year by stakeholders from around the world. 'Version Zero' can be downloaded here.
The
COMPETE project established close cooperation
links with the Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels
(RSB) and the following COMPETE partners are
currently involved in RSB activities:
- Ibrahim
Togola (Mali Folkecenter), Founding Steering
Board Member
- Jeremy
Woods (Imperial College), GHG Working Group
on Greenhouse Gas Lifecycle Efficiency Analysis
- Christine
Dragisic (Conservation International), ENV
Working Group on Environmental Impacts
We
strongly encourage COMPETE Partners (especially
partners from Africa) to get involved in the
Roundtable on Sustainable Biofuels as representatives
of the COMPETE project.
